Japan Karate Do Hakua-Kai

Matsubushi Dojo
SHURI-TE NAHA-TE TOMARI-TE KATA KUMITE WAY OF BUDO

HISTORY OF OKINAWA KARATE

According to ancient Okinawan legend, Karate had its beginnings in India with a Buddhist monk named Daruma. Tradition says
that Daruma traveled across the Himalayan Mountains from India to the Shaolin Temple in Honan Province of China. There he
began teaching the other monks his philosophies of physical and mental conditioning. Legend has it that his teachings included
exercises for maintaining physical strength and self defense.This same monk known as Bodhidharma in India and as Ta Mo in
China, is credited with founding the school of Buddhist philosophy known as "Ch´an" in China and as "Zen" in Japan.The
Okinawans believe that the art known as Karate today came from those original teachings of Daruma through an Okinawan
who visited or lived for some time in China at the Shaolin Temple. Whether or not this is true, it is obvious that there are
similarities in the Okinawan art of Karate and the language and martial arts of China.Further, we must assume that the Karate
of Okinawa developed from trial and error of fighting experiences into a different and unique martial art.
Karate (空手)is a martial art developed in the in what is now Okinawa, Japan. It was developed from indigenous fighting methods
called te (手, literally "hand"; Tii in Okinawan) and Chinese kenpō.Karate is a striking art using punching, kicking, knee and
elbow strikes, and open-handed techniques such as knife-hands. Grappling, locks, restraints, throws, and vital point strikes are
taught in some styles.A karate practitioner is called a karateka (空手家).

Karate was developed in the Ryukyu Kingdom prior to its 19th-century annexation by Japan. It was brought to the Japanese
mainland in the early 20th century during a time of cultural exchanges between the Japanese and the Ryukyuans. In 1922 the
Japanese Ministry of Education invited Gichin Funakoshi to Tokyo to give a karate demonstration. In 1924 Keio University
established the first university karate club in Japan and by 1932, major Japanese universities had karate clubs.In this era of
escalating Japanese militarism,the name was changed from 唐手 ("Chinese hand") to 空手 ("empty hand") – both of which are
pronounced karate – to indicate that the Japanese wished to develop the combat form in Japanese style.After the Second
World War, Okinawa became an important United States military site and karate became popular among servicemen stationed
there.

The martial arts movies of the 1960s and 1970s served to greatly increase its popularity and the word karate began to be used
in a generic way to refer to all striking-based Oriental martial arts. Karate schools began appearing across the world, catering
to those with casual interest as well as those seeking a deeper study of the art.

Shigeru Egami, Chief Instructor of Shotokan Dojo, opined "that the majority of followers of karate in overseas countries pursue
karate only for its fighting techniques...Movies and television...depict karate as a mysterious way of fighting capable of causing
death or injury with a single blow...the mass media present a pseudo art far from the real thing." Shoshin Nagamine said
"Karate may be considered as the conflict within oneself or as a life-long marathon which can be won only through self-
discipline, hard training and one's own creative efforts."

For many practitioners, karate is a deeply philosophical practice. Karate-do teaches ethical principles and can have spiritual
significance to its adherents. Gichin Funakoshi ("Father of Modern Karate") titled his autobiography Karate-Do: My Way of Life
in recognition of the transforming nature of karate study. Today karate is practiced for self-perfection, for cultural reasons, for
self-defense and as a sport. In 2005, in the 117th IOC (International Olympic Committee) voting, karate did not receive the
necessary two thirds majority vote to become an Olympic sport.Web Japan (sponsored by the Japanese Ministry of Foreign
Affairs) claims there are 50 million karate practitioners worldwide.

Karate began as a common fighting system known as te (Okinawan: ti) among the Pechin class of the Ryukyuans. After trade
relationships were established with the Ming dynasty of China by King Satto of Chūzan in 1372, some forms of Chinese martial
arts were introduced to the Ryukyu Islands by the visitors from China, particularly Fujian Province. A large group of Chinese
families moved to Okinawa around 1392 for the purpose of cultural exchange, where they established the community of
Kumemura and shared their knowledge of a wide variety of Chinese arts and sciences, including the Chinese martial arts. The
political centralization of Okinawa by King Shō Hashi in 1429 and the 'Policy of Banning Weapons,' enforced in Okinawa after
the invasion of the Shimazu clan in 1609, are also factors that furthered the development of unarmed combat techniques in
Okinawa.

There were few formal styles of te, but rather many practitioners with their own methods. One surviving example is the Motobu-
ryū school passed down from the Motobu family by Seikichi Uehara.Early styles of karate are often generalized as Shuri-te,
Naha-te, and Tomari-te, named after the three cities from which they emerged.Each area and its teachers had particular kata,
techniques, and principles that distinguished their local version of te from the others.

Members of the Okinawan upper classes were sent to China regularly to study various political and practical disciplines. The
incorporation of empty-handed Chinese Kung Fu into Okinawan martial arts occurred partly because of these exchanges and
partly because of growing legal restrictions on the use of weaponry. Traditional karate kata bear a strong resemblance to the
forms found in Fujian martial arts such as Fujian White Crane, Five Ancestors, and Gangrou-quan (Hard Soft Fist; pronounced
"Gōjūken" in Japanese).Further influence came from Southeast Asia—particularly Sumatra, Java, and Melaka.Many Okinawan
weapons such as the sai, tonfa, and nunchaku may have originated in and around Southeast Asia.

Sakukawa Kanga (1782–1838) had studied pugilism and staff (bo) fighting in China
(according to one legend, under the guidance of Kosokun, originator of kusanku kata).
In 1806 he started teaching a fighting art in the city of Shuri that he called "Tudi
Sakukawa," which meant "Sakukawa of China Hand." This was the first known
recorded reference to the art of "Tudi," written as 唐手. Around the 1820s Sakukawa's
most significant student Matsumura Sōkon (1809–1899) taught a synthesis of te (Shuri-
te and Tomari-te) and Shaolin (Chinese 少林) styles. Matsumura's style would later
become the Shōrin-ryū style.Matsumura taught his art to Itosu Ankō (1831–1915)
Kanga sakugawa among others. Itosu adapted two forms he had learned from Matsumara. These are Matsumura Sokon
kusanku and chiang nan. He created the ping'an forms ("heian" or "pinan" in Japanese)
which are simplified kata for beginning students.
In 1901 Itosu helped to get karate introduced into Okinawa's public schools. These forms were taught to children at the
elementary school level. Itosu's influence in karate is
broad. The forms he created are common across nearly all styles of karate. His students became some of the most well known
karate masters, including Gichin Funakoshi, Kenwa Mabuni, and Motobu Chōki. Itosu is sometimes referred to as "the
Grandfather of Modern Karate.

Ankō Itosu
karate jutsu Okinaw Karate Dojo
Grandfather of Modern Karate

In 1881 Higaonna Kanryō returned from China after years of instruction with Ryu Ryu Ko and founded what would become
Naha-te. One of his students was the founder of Gojū-ryū, Chōjun Miyagi. Chōjun Miyagi taught such well-known karateka as
Seko Higa (who also trained with Higaonna), Meitoku Yagi, Miyazato Ei'ichi, and Seikichi Toguchi, and for a very brief time
near the end of his life, An'ichi Miyagi (a teacher claimed by Morio Higaonna).

In addition to the three early te styles of karate a fourth Okinawan influence is that of Kanbun Uechi (1877–1948). At the age of
20 he went to Fuzhou in Fujian Province, China, to escape Japanese military conscription. While there he studied under
Shushiwa. He was a leading figure of Chinese Nanpa Shorin-ken at that time.He later developed his own style of Uechi-ryū
karate based on the Sanchin, Seisan, and Sanseiryu kata that he had studied in China.
 Gichin Funakoshi, founder of Shotokan karate, is generally credited with having
introduced and popularized karate on the main islands of Japan. In addition many
Okinawans were actively teaching, and are thus also responsible for the
development of karate on the main islands. Funakoshi was a student of both Asato
Ankō and Itosu Ankō (who had worked to introduce karate to the Okinawa
Prefectural School System in 1902). During this time period, prominent teachers who
also influenced the spread of karate in Japan included Kenwa Mabuni, Chōjun
Miyagi, Motobu Chōki, Kanken Tōyama, and Kanbun Uechi. This was a turbulent
period in the history of the region. It includes Japan's annexation of the Okinawan
island group in 1872, the First Sino-Japanese War (1894–1895), the Russo- Gichin Funakosi
Higaonna Kanryo Japanese War (1904–1905), the annexation of Korea, and the rise of Japanese Father of Modern Karate
founder of Naha-te militarism (1905–1945).Japan was invading China at the time, and Funakoshi knew founder of Shotokan-ryu
that the art of Tang/China hand would not be accepted; thus the change of the art's
name to "way of the empty hand.
" The dō suffix implies that karatedō is a path to self knowledge, not just a study of the technical aspects of fighting. Like most
martial arts practiced in Japan, karate made its transition from -jutsu to -dō around the beginning of the 20th century. The "dō"
in "karate-dō" sets it apart from karate-jutsu, as aikido is distinguished from aikijutsu, judo from jujutsu, kendo from kenjutsu
and iaido from iaijutsu

Chojun Miyagi Motobu Choki Kenwa Mabuni Kanbun Uechi

founder of Goju-ryu founder of Motobu-ryu founder of Shito-ryu founder of Uechi-ryu

Funakoshi changed the names of many kata and the name of the art itself (at least on mainland Japan), doing so to get karate
accepted by the Japanese budō organization Dai Nippon Butoku Kai. Funakoshi also gave Japanese names to many of the
kata. The five pinan forms became known as heian, the three naihanchi forms became known as tekki, seisan as hangetsu,
Chintō as gankaku, wanshu as empi, and so on. These were mostly political changes, rather than changes to the content of the
forms, although Funakoshi did introduce some such changes. Funakoshi had trained in two of the popular branches of
Okinawan karate of the time, Shorin-ryū and Shōrei-ryū. In Japan he was influenced by kendo, incorporating some ideas about
distancing and timing into his style. He always referred to what he taught as simply karate, but in 1936 he built a dojo in Tokyo
and the style he left behind is usually called Shotokan after this dojo.The modernization and systemization of karate in Japan
also included the adoption of the white uniform that consisted of the kimono and the dogi or keikogi—mostly called just
karategi—and colored belt ranks. Both of these innovations were originated and popularized by Jigoro Kano, the founder of
judo and one of the men Funakoshi consulted in his efforts to modernize karate.

In1922, Hironori Ohtsuka attended the Tokyo Sports Festival, where he saw Funakoshi's karate.
Ohtsuka was so impressed with this that he visited Funakoshi many times during his stay. Funakoshi
was, in turn, impressed by Ohtsuka's enthusiasm and determination to understand karate, and agreed to
teach him. In the following years, Ohtsuka set up a medical practice dealing with martial arts injuries. His
prowess in martial arts led him to become the Chief Instructor of Shindō Yōshin-ryū jujutsu at the age of
30, and an assistant instructor in Funakoshi's dojo.

By 1929, Ohtsuka was registered as a member of the Japan Martial Arts Federation. Okinawan karate at
this time was only concerned with kata. Ohtsuka thought that the full spirit of budō, which concentrates
on defence and attack, was missing, and that kata techniques did not work in realistic fighting situations.
He experimented with other, more combative styles such as judo, kendo, and aikido. He blended the
practical and useful elements of Okinawan karate with traditional Japanese martial arts techniques from
jujitsu and kendo, which led to the birth of kumite, or free fighting, in karate. Ohtsuka thought that there
Hironori Otsuka
was a need for this more dynamic type of karate to be taught, and he decided to leave Funakoshi to
founder of Wado-ryu
concentrate on developing his own style of karate: Wadō-ryū. In 1934, Wadō-ryū karate was officially
recognized as an independent style of karate. This recognition meant a departure for Ohtsuka from his
medical practice and the fulfilment of a life's ambition—to become a full-time martial artist.
Ohtsuka's personalized style of Karate was officially registered in 1938 after he was awarded the rank of Renshi-go. He
presented a demonstration of Wadō-ryū karate for the Japan Martial Arts Federation. They were so impressed with his style
and commitment that they acknowledged him as a high-ranking instructor. The next year the Japan Martial Arts Federation
asked all the different styles to register their names; Ohtsuka registered the name Wadō-ryū. In 1944, Ohtsuka was appointed
Japan's Chief Karate Instructor.

Karate can be practiced as an art (budo), as a sport, as a combat sport, or as self defense training. Traditional karate places
emphasis on self development (budō).Modern Japanese style training emphasizes the psychological elements incorporated
into a proper kokoro (attitude) such as perseverance, fearlessness, virtue, and leadership skills. Sport karate places emphasis
on exercise and competition. Weapons (Kobudo) is important training activity in some styles.Karate training is commonly
divided into Kihon (basics or fundamentals), Kata (forms), and Kumite (sparring).In the bushidō tradition dojo kun is a set of
guidelines for karateka to follow. These guidelines apply both in the dojo (training hall) and in everyday lifeOkinawan karate
uses supplementary training known as hojo undo. This utilizes simple equipment made of wood and stone. The makiwara is a
striking post. The nigiri game is a large jar used for developing grip strength. These supplementary exercises are designed to
increase strength, stamina, speed, and muscle coordination.Sport Karate emphasises aerobic exercise, anaerobic exercise,
power, agility, flexibility, and stress management.All practices vary depending upon the school and the teacher.Gichin
Funakoshi said, "There are no contests in karate."In pre–World War II Okinawa, kumite was not part of karate training.Shigeru
Egami relates that, in 1940, some karateka were ousted from their dojo because they adopted sparring after having learned it
in Tokyo.

In 1924 Gichin Funakoshi, founder of Shotokan Karate, adopted the Dan system from judo founder Jigoro Kano using a rank
scheme with a limited set of belt colors. Other Okinawan teachers also adopted this practice. In the Kyū/Dan system the
beginner grades start with a higher numbered kyū (e.g., 10th Kyū or Jukyū) and progress toward a lower numbered kyū. The
Dan progression continues from 1st Dan (Shodan, or 'beginning dan') to the higher dan grades. Kyū-grade karateka are
referred to as "color belt" or mudansha ("ones without dan/rank"). Dan-grade karateka are referred to as yudansha (holders of
dan/rank). Yudansha typically wear a black belt. Requirements of rank differ among styles, organizations, and schools. Kyū
ranks stress stance, balance, and coordination. Speed and power are added at higher grades.

Minimum age and time in rank are factors affecting promotion. Testing consists of demonstration of techniques before a panel
of examiners. This will vary by school, but testing may include everything learned at that point, or just new information. The
demonstration is an application for new rank (shinsa) and may include kata, bunkai, self-defense, routines, tameshiwari
(breaking), and/or kumite (sparring). Black belt testing may also include a written examination

Masters of karate in Tokyo (1930) Commemorating the establishment of basic kata of karate do (1937)
 Kanken Toyama, Hironori Ohtsuka, Takeshi Shimoda, Gichin Funakoshi, Chotoku Kyan,Kentsu Yabu,Como Hanashiro,Chojun Miyagi (front from left)
Motobu Choki, Kenwa Mabuni, Genwa Nakasone and Shinken Taira Shinpan Shiroma (Sinpan Gusukuma),Choryo Maeshiro,Chosin Chibana,
(from left to right) Genwa Nakasone (back from left)

The Twent Guiding Principles of Karate

Master Funakoshi explained his philosophy of karate, in greater detail, in the twenty principles called the nijyu kun.Throughout
his life, Master Funakoshi emphasized the importance of spiritual over physical matters, and he believed that it was essential
for the karate student to understand why—not only for training, but in the way the student lives every moment of his life. In his
book, Karate-do Kyohan, Master Funakoshi discussed both the positive and negative aspects of karate, warning us that karate-
do can be misused if misunderstood. He felt that those who wanted to learn karate should understand what karate really is—
what its purpose, its ultimate objective, should be. Only then could a karate student understand how to use karate techniques
and skills properly.

When we get to the very essence of karate, to the ultimate purpose of training—that’s what it’s all about: Improving ourselves
as people. If we all try to make ourselves the best human beings we can be, we will make the world a better place. We will
help bring peace. That was Master Funakoshi’s ultimate goal—to make peace in the world by helping people develop
themselves, as individual human beings, through karate-do. It is every instructor’s duty to help realize this goal. And it is the
responsibility of every student as well. When you repeat the dojo kun after class, and you say it from your heart, you
acknowledge that responsibility.

The principles of the dojo kun are simple and very basic. They are simply stated, and so require little explanation. Here we will
give a brief explanation of each principle, keeping it as simple as the principle itself.
The message behind each of the nijyu kun is often more difficult to understand, however, and so we devote more time to
explaining them. As you will see—and as I said before—the basic principles of the dojo kun are reflected in the principles of
the nijyu kun. The dojo kun is the foundation of the nijyu kun.

As we explain the meaning of the nijyu kun, you will see the basic, simple ideas of the dojo kun everywhere. And again, the
last four parts of the dojo kun reflect the very first, the most important principle of all: Seek perfection of character.
Always remember: The most important thing you can do as a true student of karate is to seek perfection of character. The dojo
kun and the nijyu kun explain both how and what it means to do so, not only in karate training, but in the broader terms of life,
generally.

Of course there is no substitute for training. Training is the process by which we learn to improve ourselves as
people. Training is our path to the spiritual growth Master Funakoshi encouraged us to attain. But it is important to understand
why we train. Karate, more than anything else, is a spiritual endeavor. It is a way to develop a person as an individual. If a
karate student does not understand this basic objective, then he or she is not really practicing karate.
Helping people become the best human beings they can be is what karate is all about.

松濤館ニ十訓 (Shotokan Niju Kun)

Karate-do wa rei ni hajimari rei ni
Karate-do begins with a bow
一、空手は礼に初まり礼に終ることを忘るな。 owaru
and finishes with a bow
koto a wasaru na .
There is no first strike in
二、空手に先手なし。 Karate ni sente nashi .
karate
One who practices karate
三、空手は義の補け。 Karate wa, gi no taske .
must follow the way of justice
Mazu onore o shire, shikashite ta o First know yourself , then you
四、先づ自己を知れ而して他を知れ。
shire . can know others.
Spirit and mind is more
五、技術より心術。 Gijitsu yori shinjitsu . important
than technique
Be ready to release your
六、心は放たん事を要す。 Kokoro wa hanatan koto o yosu .
mind
Misfortune comes out of
七、禍は懈怠に生ず。 Waza wai wa ketai ni seizu .
idleness
Don’t think that what you
learn
八、道場のみの空手と思うな。 Dojo nomino karate to omou na .
from karate can’t be used
outside the dojo
Karate-do no shugyo wa isssho de aru It will take you entire life to
九、空手の修行は一生である。
. learn karate
Put karate into your everyday
Ara yuru mono o karateka seyo;
十、凡ゆるものを空手化せ其処に妙味あり。 living;that is how you will see
sokoni myomi ari .
its true beauty

十一、空手は湯の如く絶えず熱を与えざれば元の水に返る。
十二、勝つ考えは持つな、負けぬ考えは必要。
十三、敵に因って転化せよ。
十四、戦は虚実の操縦如何にあり。
十五、人の手足を劔と思え。
十六、男子門を出づれば百万の敵あり。
十七、構えは初心者に、あとは自然体。
十八、型は正しく、実戦は別もの。
十九、力の強弱、体の伸縮、技の緩急を忘るな。
Karate Wa Yu No Gotoku Taezu
Netsu O Atae Zareba
Motono Mizuni Kaeru .
Katsu kangae wa motsuna; makenu
kangae wa hitsuyo .
Tekki ni yotte tenka seyo .
Tattakai wa kyo-jitsu no soju ikan ni
ari .
Hi to no te-ashi wa ken to omoe .
Danshi mon o izureba hyakuman no
teki ari .
Kamae wa shoshinsha ni atowa
shizentai .
Kata wa tadashiku, jisen wa
betsumono .
Chikara no kyojaku tai no shinshuku
waza no kankyu wo
wasaru na .
Karate is just like hot water; if
you
do not give it continuous
heat, it
will become cold
Do not think that you have to
win; think, rather, that you do
not have to lose
Make adjustments according
to
your opponent
In conflict you must discern
the
vulnerable from invulnerable
points
Consider you opponent’s legs
and arms as you would lethal
swords.
When you step beyond your
own
get,you face a million
enemies.
Formal stances,are for
beginners,
later,one stands naturally.
Perform prescnbed sets of
techniques exactly,
actualcombat is another
matter.
Do not forget: the
employment
of power,the extension or
contraction of the body,the
swift
 or leisurely application of
technique.
Be constantly
mindful,diligent,
二十、常に思念工夫せよ。 Tsune ni shinen ku fu seyo . and resourceful,in your
pursuit
of the Way.

Reference :Wikipedia

JAPAN KARATE DO HAKUA-KAI MATSUBUSHI DOJO

no iframe

Japan Karate Do Hakua-Kai

Matsubushi Dojo
HISTORY NAHA-TE TOMARI-TE KATA KUMITE WAY OF BUDO

SHURI-TE
 Okinawan martial arts refers to the martial arts which originated among the indigenous people of Okinawa Island in Japan, most
notably karate, tegumi, and Okinawan kobudō.Due to its central location, Okinawa is full of Japanese people and was greatly
influenced by these other cultures, with a long history of trade and cultural exchange with China that greatly influenced the
development of martial arts on Okinawa.The precursor of present-day Okinawan martial arts is believed to have come by way of
visitors from China. In the 7th century, Chinese martial arts were introduced to Okinawa through Taoist and Buddhist monks. These
styles were practiced in Okinawa and developed into Te (Hand) over several centuries.

In the 14th century, when the three kingdoms on Okinawa -- (Chūzan, Hokuzan, and Nanzan) -- entered into a tributary relationship
with the Ming Dynasty of China, Chinese Imperial envoys and many other Chinese arrived, some of who taught Chinese Chuan Fa
(Kung Fu) to the Okinawans. The Okinawans combined Chinese Chuan Fa with the existing martial art of Te to form Tōde (Tuudii
T'ang hand, China hand), sometimes called Okinawa-te .

In 1429, the three kingdoms on Okinawa unified to form the Kingdom of Ryūkyū. When King Shō Shin came into power in 1477, he
banned the practice of martial arts. Tō-te and kobudō continued to be taught in secret. The ban was continued in 1609 after Okinawa
was invaded by the Satsuma Domain of Japan. The bans contributed to the development of kobudō, which uses common household
and farming implements as weaponry.

By the 18th century, different types of Te had developed in three different villages - Shuri, Naha, and Tomari. The styles were named ,
Shuri-te, Naha-te and Tomari-te, respectively. Practitioners from these three villages went on to develop modern karate

Shuri-te (首里手Okinawan: Suidii) is a pre- World War ll term for a type of martial art indigenous to the area around Shuri, the old capital
city of the
Ryukyu Kingdom.Shuri-Te is the name of the particular type of Okinawan martial art that developed in the Shuri, the ancient capital of
Okinawa. One of the early Okinawan masters, To-De Sakugawa (1733-1815) is credited as being one of the initial importers of
Chinese martial arts to Okinawa, in particular to Shuri, where he started the development of the Shuri-Te style of Okinawan martial
arts.

Sakugawa had a student named Sokon Matsumura, who in turn taught Anko Itosu who was destined to become a great martial artist
and teacher in the 19th century, who introduced the practice of To-De, as the Okinawan martial arts were called, to the Okinawan
school system. Ankoh Itosu’s contribution to To-De was the emphasis of Kata and its practical application, called Bunkai.

Many students of Ankoh Itosu became significant figures in the early development of karate.Amongst Itosu’s students are Gichin
Funakoshi (1867-1957), who later moved to Japan and founded Shotokan Karate, and Kenwa Mabuni (1890-1954), combined aspects
of Naha-Te and Shuri-Te, also moved to Japan, and founded Shito-Ryu Karate
Important Okinawan masters of Shuri-te:
Sakukawa Kanga, Matsumura Sōkon , Itosu Ankō, Asato Ankō, Chōyū Motobu, Motobu Chōki, Yabu Kentsū, Chōmo Hanashiro,
Funakoshi Gichin, Kyan Chōtoku, Chibana Chōshin, Mabuni Kenwa, Tōyama Kanken, Tatsuo Shimabuku

The successor styles to Shuri-te include Shōtōkan-ryū, Shōtōkai, Wadō-ryū, Shitō-ryū, Motobu-ryū, Shuri-ryū, Shōrin-ryū, Shudokan,
Keishinkan, and Shōrinji-ryū.

Important Katas:
Naihanchi (más tarde Tekki), Pinan (más tarde Heian), Kusanku (más tarde Kanku), Passai (más tarde Bassai), Jion, Jitte, Sochin,
Chinto
 Karate training with Shinpan Gusukuma sensei at Shuri Castle 1938, Okiinawa Prefecture, Japan

Important Okinawan Masters of Shuri-te

Wong Chung-Yoh was a 17th century teacher of a style of martial arts known as xingyiquan. Located in Fuzhou in the Fukien
Province of China, he was notable for being the teacher of Chatan Yara.
 Kūsanū (クーサンクー、公相君),(1720-1790) also known as Kwang Shang Fu, was a Chinese martial
artist who lived during the 18th century. He is credited as having an influence on virtually all karate-derived
martial arts.

Kūsankū learned the art of Ch'uan Fa in China from a Shaolin monk. He was thought to have resided (and
possibly studied martial arts) in the Fukien province for much of his life.Around 1756, Kūsankū was sent to
Okinawa as an ambassador of the Qing Dynasty. He resided in the village of Kanemura, near Naha City.
During his stay in Okinawa, Kūsankū instructed Kanga Sakukawa.

Sakugawa trained under Kūsankū for six years.After Kūsankū's death (around 1762), Sakugawa developed
and named the Kusanku kata in honor of his teacher.

Chatan Yara (北谷 屋良)(1740 – 1812), (aka Yara Guwa, Ueekata Yomitan Yara), is credited with being one of the first to disseminate
the art of Te throughout Okinawa Yara is most noted for teaching Takehara Peichin who would later be the sensei of Sakugawa Kanga
the father of Okinawan karate. Depending on Sakugawa's birth date, Yara may have been his teacher also (based on the kata he
taught).Yara was from Chatan Village, on Okinawa Island.

According to most accounts, Yara's parents sent him to China at the age of 12 under the advice of his uncle to study the Chinese
language and the martial arts. It was here he mastered the use of a the bo staff and twin sais under the guidance of his teacher Wong
Chung-Yoh.

Shortly after returning to Shuri around 1800, Yara came to the assistance of a woman being harassed by a samurai. First avoiding the
samurai's sword attacks, Yara acquired an eku (oar) from a nearby boat and successfully disarmed and killed the samurai. Soon after
this rescue, he was recruited by local officials to teach his martial art to the local community for the purpose of self-defense.

In any case, he contributed much to Okinawa karate. He reportedly studied in China for 20 years. His bo and sai techniques greatly
influenced Okinawan kobudo, his Kata, "Chatan Yara No Sai," "Chatan Yara Sho No Tonfa," and "Chatan Yara No Kon" are widely
practiced today.

Higa Peechin (比嘉 親雲上) (1790–1870), often called Machuu Hijaa (マチュー ヒジャー) or (Matsu Higa) is a semi-legendary martial
artist in Okinawan history who was a direct influence on the development of karate and kobudo, especially with respect to bojutsu.
Pechin (親雲上 Peechin) is social class of Ryukyu Kingdom.A resident of the island of Hama Higa, he was perhaps a student of the
Chinese emissaries Zhang Xue Li and later Wanshu, who would have taught him techniques of chu'an fa.

Okinawan history relied mainly on oral tradition prior to the 20th century, so it is difficult to separate fact and fiction (or embellishment).
It is said that Matsu Higa had forearms like tree trunks and that he could crush a coconut in his bare hands, though he stood only 5
feet 2 inches (157 cm) tall and weighed about 140 pounds (64 kg). Legends state that Matsu Higa with his bo stood up to the head-
hunters of Formosa and to Japanese pirates from the north and never lost a battle.

What is known, however, is that Matsu Higa was the teacher of Takahara Peechin, who in turn taught Sakugawa Kanga. Matsu Higa
was one of the first to codify a system of kata and techniques. His contributions live on in several weapons katas, especially for tonfa,
sai and bo.

Takahara Pēchin (高原 親雲上) (1683-1760)

Takahara Pēchin was revered as a great warrior and is attributed to have been the first to explain the aspects or principles of the word
do ("way"). These principals are: (1) ijo, the way-compassion, humility and love. (2) katsu, the laws-complete understanding of all
techniques and forms of karate, and (3) fo, dedication seriousness of karate that must be understood not only in practice, but in actual
combat. The collective translation is: "One's duty to himself and his fellow man." Most importantly, he was the first teacher of
Sakugawa, Kanga "Tode" who was to become known as the "father of Okinawan karate."
Pēchin was a social class of the Ryukyu Kingdom

Kanga Sakugawa (佐久川 寛賀)

Kanga Sakugawa (1733 - 1815), also Sakugawa Satunushi and Tode Sakugawa, was an Okinawan
martial arts master and major contributor to the development of Te the precursor to modern karate.

.In 1750, Sakukawa (or Sakugawa) began his training as a student of an Okinawan monk, Peichin
Takahara. After six years of training, Takahara suggested that Sakugawa train under Kusanku, a
Chinese master in Ch'uan Fa. Sakukawa spent six years training with Kusanku, and began to
spread what he learned to Okinawa in 1762. He became a such expert that people gave him, as a
nickname: "Tōde" Sakugawa (Sakugawa "Chinese Hand"). His most famous student, Matsumura
Sokon, went on to develop the Shuri-te which later develop into Shorin-ryu style of karate.
Chintō (In Shotokan, Gankaku (岩鶴) is an advanced kata practiced in many styles of Karate.
According to legend, it is named after a Chinese sailor, sometimes referred to as Annan, whose ship
crashed on the Okinawan coast. To survive, Chintō stole from the crops of the local people.
Matsumura Sokon, a Karate master and chief bodyguard to the Okinawan king, was sent to defeat
Chintō. In the ensuing fight, however, Matsumura found himself equally matched by the stranger,
and consequently sought to learn his techniques.
It is known that the kata Chintō was well known to the early Tomari-te and Shuri-te schools of Karate. Matsumura Sōkon was an early
practitioner of the Shuri-te style. When Gichin Funakoshi brought Karate to Japan, he renamed Chintō (meaning approximately "fighter
to the east") to Gankaku (meaning "crane on a rock"), possibly to avoid anti-Chinese sentiment of the time. He also modified the actual
pattern of movement, or embusen, to a more linear layout, similar to the other Shotokan kata.The kata is very dynamic, employing a
diverse number of stances (including the uncommon crane stance), unusual strikes of rapidly varying height, and a rare one-footed
pivot. Bunkai generally describes this kata as being useful on uneven, hilly terrain.It is often said that Chintō should be performed while
facing eastwards.
Today, Chintō is practiced in Wado-ryu , Shukokai, Isshin-ryu, Chito-ryu, Shorin-ryu, Shito-ryu, Shotokan (Gankaku), Gensei-ryu and
Yoshukai.

Matsumura Sōkon (松村 宗棍)

Matsumura Sōkon was one of the original karate masters of Okinawa. His life is reported variously as
(c.1809-1901) or (1798–1890) or (1809–1896) or (1800–1892

Matsumura Sōkon was born in Yamagawa Village, Shuri, Okinawa. Matsumura began the study of karate
under the guidance of Sakukawa Kanga (1762–1843) or (1733–1815) or (1782–1837). Sakukawa was an
old man at the time and reluctant to teach the young Matsumura, who was regarded as something of a
troublemaker. However, Sakukawa had promised Matsumura Sōfuku, Matsumura Sōkon’s father, that he
would teach the boy, and thus he did. Matsumura spent five years studying under Sakukawa. As a young
man, Matsumura had already garnered a reputation as an expert in the martial arts

Matsumura was recruited into the service of the Shō family, the royal family of the Ryukyu Kingdom in
1816 and received the title Shikudon (also Chikudun Pechin), a gentry rank.
He began his career by serving the 17th King of Ryūkyū's second Shō dynasty, King Sho Ko. In 1818 he married Yonamine Chiru, who
was a martial arts expert as well. Matsumura eventually became the chief martial arts instructor and bodyguard for the Okinawan King
Shō Kō. He subsequently served in this capacity for the last two Okinawan kings, Shō Iku and Sho Tai. Matsumura traveled on behalf
of the royal government to Fuzhou and Satsuma. He studied Chuan Fa in China as well as other martial arts and brought what he
learned back to Okinawa.
He was the first to introduce the principles of Satsuma's swordsmanship school, Jigen-ryu, into Ryukyu kobujutsu (Ryūkyūan
traditional martial arts) and he is credited with creating the foundation for the bojutsu of Tsuken. He passed on Jigen-ryū to some of his
students, including Anko Asato and Itarashiki Chochu. The Tsuken Bō tradition was perfected by Tsuken Seisoku Ueekata of Shuri

Matsumura is credited with passing on the Shorin-ryu Kempo-karate know as naihanchi Ⅰ＆Ⅱ,passai, seisan, chinto, gogushuho,
kusanku (the embodiment of kusanku's teaching as passed on to Tode Sakugawa) and hakutsuru kata kata contains the elements of
the Fujian White Crane system taught within the Shaolin system of Chinese kempo.Another set of kata,known as chanan in
Matsumura's time,is said to have been devised by Matsumura himself and was the basis for pinan Ⅰ and Ⅱ .Matsumura's style has
endured to the above mentioned kata are the core of Shorin-ryu karate today.

Matsumura was given the title bushi meaning "warrior" by the Okinawan king in recognition of his abilities and accomplishments in the
martial arts.Described by Gichin Funakoshi as a sensei with a terrifying presence, Matsumura was never defeated in a duel, though he
fought many. Tall, thin, and possessing a pair of unsetting eyes, Matsumura was described by his student Anko Itosu as blindingly fast
and deceptivly strong. His martial arts endeavors have been the progenitor of many contemporary karate styles: Shorin-ryu, shotokan-
ryu and Shito-ryu,for example. Ultimatly, all modern styles of karate that evolved from the Shuri-te lineage can be traced back to the
teachings of Bushi Matsumura. Of note his grandson was the modern Tode master, Tsuyoshi Chitose, who assisted Gichin Funakoshi
in the early introduction and teaching of the karate in Japan and who founded the Chito-ryu (千唐流) style.

Anko Asato (安里 安恒)

Anko Asato (AzatoYasutsune in 1827 – 1906) was an Okinawan master of karate. He and Anko Itosu were the two main karate
masters who taught Gichin Funakoshi, the founder of Shotokan-ryu karate. Funakoshi appears to be the source of most of the
information available on Asato. Many articles contain information about Asato but the relevant parts are clearly based on Funakoshi's
descriptions of him.

Funakoshi first met Asato when he was a schoolmate of Asato's son; he called Asato "one of Okinawa's greatest experts in the art of
karate. According to Funakoshi, Asato's family belonged to the Tonochi class (hereditary town and village chiefs), and held authority in
the village of Asato, halfway between Shuri and Naha, and he was not only a master of karate, but also skilled at riding horses, Jigen-
ryu kendo (swordsmanship), archery, and an exceptional scholar

In a 1934 article, Funakoshi noted that Asato and Itosu had studied karate together under Sokon Matsumura. He also related how
Asato and Itosu once
overcame a group of 20–30 attackers,and how Asato set a trap for troublemakers in his home village. In his 1956 autobiography,
Funakoshi recounted several stories about Asato, including: Asato's political astuteness in following the government order to cut off the
traditional men's topknot .Asato's defeat of Yōrin Kanna, in which the unarmed Asato prevailed despite Kanna being armed with an
unblunted blade Asato's demonstration of a single-point punch and Asato and Itosu's friendly arm-wrestling matches
 Ankō Itosu (糸洲 安恒)Grand Father of modern karate

Itosu Ankō, 1831 – 1915) is considered by many the father of modern karate, although this title is also
often given to Gichin Funakoshi because the latter spread karate throughout Japan

Itosu was born in 1831 and died in 1915. Ethnically Okinawan, Itosu was small in stature, shy, and
introverted as a child. He was raised in a strict home of the keimochi (a family of position), and was
educated in the Chinese classics and calligraphy. Itosu began his Tode (karate) study under
Nagahama Chikudun Pechin. His study of the art led him to Sokon Matsumura. Part of Itosu's training
was makiwara practice. He once tied a leather sandal to a stone wall in an effort to build a better
makiwara. After several strikes, the stone fell from the wall. After relocating the sandal several times,
Itosu had destroyed the wall.
Itosu served as a secretary to the last king of the Ryukyu Islands until Japan abolished the Okinawa-
based native monarchy in 1879. In 1901, he was instrumental in getting karate introduced into
Okinawa's schools. In 1905, Itosu was a part-time teacher of To-te at Okinawa's First Junior Prefectural
High School. It was here that he developed the systematic method of teaching karate techniques that
are still in practice today.
He created and introduced the Pinan forms (Heian in Japanese) as learning steps for students, because he felt the older forms (kata in
Japanese) were too difficult for schoolchildren to learn. The five Pinan forms were created by drawing from two older forms: kusanku
and chiang nan. Itosu is also credited with taking the large Naihanchi form (tekki in Japan) and breaking it into the three well-known
modern forms Naihanchi Shodan, Naihanchi Nidan, and Naihanchi Sandan. In 1908, Itosu wrote the influential "Ten Precepts (Tode
Jukun) of Karate," reaching beyond Okinawa to Japan. Itosu's style of karate, Shorin-ryu, came to be known as Itosu-ryu in recognition
of his skill, mastery, and role as teacher to many.

While Itosu did not invent karate himself, he modified the kata (forms) he learned from his master, Matsumura, and taught many karate
masters. Itosu's students included:
Choyu Motobu (1857–1927), Choki Motobu (1870–1944), Kentsu Yabu (1866–1937), Gichin Funakoshi (1868–1957),Chomo
Hanashiro (1869–1945), Moden Yabiku (1880–1941), Kanken Toyama (1888–1966), Chotoku Kyan (1870–1945), Shinpan Shiroma
(gusukuma) (1890–1954), Anbun Tokuda (1886–1945), Kenwa Mabuni (1887–1952), and Choshin Chibana (1885–1969).

In October 1908, Itosu wrote a letter, "Ten Precepts (Tode Jukun) of Karate," to draw the attention of the Ministry of Education and the
Ministry of War in Japan. A translation of that letter reads:

Ten Precepts of Karate (Tode Jukun)

Karate did not develop from Buddhism or Confucianism. In the past the Shorin-ryu school and the Shorei-ryu school were
brought to Okinawa from China. Both of these schools have strong points, which I will now mention before there are too many
changes:
1. Karate is not merely practiced for your own benefit; it can be used to protect one's family or master. It is not intended to be used
against a single assailant but instead as a way of avoiding a fight should one be confronted by a villain or ruffian.
2. The purpose of karate is to make the muscles and bones hard as rock and to use the hands and legs as spears. If children
were to begin training in Tang Te while in elementary school, then they will be well suited for military service. Remember the
words attributed to the Duke of Wellington after he defeated Napoleon: "The Battle of Waterloo was won on the playing fields of
Eton."
3. Karate cannot be quickly learned. Like a slow moving bull, it eventually travels a thousand miles. If one trains diligently every
day, then in three or four years one will come to understand karate. Those who train in this fashion will discover karate.
4. In karate, training of the hands and feet are important, so one must be thoroughly trained on the makiwara. In order to do this,
drop your shoulders, open your lungs, take hold of your strength, grip the floor with your feet, and sink your energy into your
lower abdomen. Practice using each arm one to two hundred times each day.
5. When one practices the stances of Tang Te, be sure to keep your back straight, lower your shoulders, put strength in your legs,
stand firmly, and drop your energy into your lower abdomen.
6. Practice each of the techniques of karate repeatedly, the use of which is passed by word of mouth. Learn the explanations well,
and decide when and in what manner to apply them when needed. Enter, counter, release is the rule of releasing hand (torite).
7. You must decide if karate is for your health or to aid your duty.
8. When you train, do so as if on the battlefield. Your eyes should glare, shoulders drop, and body harden. You should always
train with intensity and spirit, and in this way you will naturally be ready.
9. One must not overtrain; this will cause you to lose the energy in your lower abdomen and will be harmful to your body. Your
face and eyes will turn red. Train wisely.
10. In the past, masters of karate have enjoyed long lives. Karate aids in developing the bones and muscles. It helps the digestion
as well as the circulation. If karate should be introduced beginning in the elementary schools, then we will produce many men
each capable of defeating ten assailants. I further believe this can be done by having all students at the Okinawa Teachers'
College practice karate. In this way, after graduation, they can teach at the elementary schools at which they have been taught.
I believe this will be a great benefit to our nation and our military. It is my hope you will seriously consider my suggestion.

Anko Itosu, October 1908This letter was influential in the spread of karate
 Motobu Chōyū (本部朝勇)

Motobu Choyo (1857-1928) was an Okinawan karate master and elder brother of karateka Motobu Chōki.

Motobu Chōyū was born in Akahira village in Shuri, Okinawa. His father, Anji (Lord) Motobu Chōshin was a
descendent of Prince Shō Kōshin (1655-1687), the sixth son of Okinawan King Shō Shitsu (1629-1668).

Chōyū first learned the art of Te (the precursor to modern karate), which was passed down within the Shō
royal family from father to eldest son. He then studied Shuri-te karate and koryū ("old school") Japanese
martial arts under the legendary karateka Matsumura Sōkon.

He later combined all these arts he had learned to create the Motobu-ryū style of karate. In his final years,
he was the
headmartial arts instructor to the last king of the Ryūkyū Kingdom, Shō Tai (1848-1879), succeeding
Matsumura in
that position.
Matsumora Kōsaku(1829 - 1898) was an Okinawan karate master. He studied Tomari-te under Karyu Uku (aka Giko Uku) and Kishin
Teruya. He also studied Jigen-ryu. Among Matsumora's students, who went on to influence new generations through students of their
own, were Choki Motobu and Chotoku Kyan.

Kentsū Yabu （屋部 憲通）

Kentsū Yabu (Yabu Kentsū September 23, 1866 - August 27, 1937) was a prominent teacher of Shōrin-
ryū karate in Okinawa from the 1910s until the 1930s, and was among the first people to demonstrate
karate in Hawaii.

Yabu was born in Shuri, Okinawa, on September 23, 1866. He was the oldest son of Yabu Kenten and
Shun Morinaga. He had three brothers, three sisters, and three half-sisters. On March 19, 1886, he
married Takahara Oto (1868-1940).

As a young man, Yabu received training in Shōrin-ryū karate. His teachers included both Matsumura
Sōkon and Itosu Anko.

Yabu joined the Japanese Army in 1891. He served in Manchuria during the First Sino-Japanese War of 1894-1895. He received
promotion to lieutenant, but to subsequent students, he was often known as gunso, or sergeant.
Following separation from the service, Yabu studied at Shuri's Prefectural Teacher's Training College, and in 1902, he became a
teacher at Shuri's Prefectural School Number One.

In 1908, Yabu's oldest son, Kenden, went to Hawaii. In 1912, Kenden went to California. In the USA, Kenden Yabu became known as
Kenden Yabe, after a method of transliteration then being used on Japanese passports.

In 1919, Kenden Yabe married, and in 1921, his wife became pregnant. Yabu Kentsu immediately went to California to visit his son
(and, hopefully, grandson). However, Kenden Yabe and his wife only had daughters. Thus, Yabu Kentsu went back to Okinawa
disappointed.

Yabu visited the United States twice, once during 1921-1922, and again in 1927. During the second visit, he returned to Okinawa via
Hawaii. He spent about nine months in the Territory. He spent most of his time on Oahu, but he also visited other islands. In Honolulu,
he gave two public demonstrations of karate at the Nuuanu YMCA..

In 1936, Yabu visited Tokyo. While there, he visited the young Shōshin Nagamine, who later became another well-known karate
teacher. Yabu died at Shuri, Okinawa, on August 27, 1937.

As a former soldier, Yabu has been credited with helping make Okinawan karate training more militaristic. That is, students were
expected to line up in rows, and respond by the numbers. If so, this was probably part of the general militarization of Japanese
athletics common during the early 20th century. However, there is no doubt that his methods involved much rote repetition. His favorite
kata reportedly included Gojūshiho and naihanchi

Gichin Funakoshi (船越 義珍)Father of modern karate

Gichin Funakoshi (Funakoshi Gichin November 10, 1868 – April 26, 1957) was the creator of Shotokan
karate, perhaps the most widely known style of karate, and is attributed as being the 'father of modern
karate. Following the teachings of Anko Itosu, he was one of the Okinawan karate masters who introduced
karate to the Japanese mainland in 1921. He taught karate at various Japanese universities and became
honorary head of the Japan Karate Association upon its establishment in 1949.

Gichin Funakoshi was born in Shuri, Okinawa in the year of the Meiji Restoration around 1868 to ethnic
Okinawan parents and originally had the family name Tominakoshi. His father's name was Gisu. After
entering primary school he became close friends with the son of Ankō Asato, a karate and kendo master
who would soon become his first karate teacher.
Funakoshi's family was stiffly opposed to the abolition of the Japanese topknot, and this meant he would be ineligible to pursue his
goal of attending medical school, despite having passed the entrance examination. Being trained in both classical Chinese and
Japanese philosophies and teachings, Funakoshi became an assistant teacher in Okinawa. During this time, his relations with the
Asato family grew and he began nightly travels to the Asato family residence to receive karate instruction from Ankō Asato

Funakoshi had trained in both of the popular styles of Okinawan karate of the time: Shorei-ryu and Shorin-ryu. Shotokan is named
after Funakoshi's pen name, Shoto, which means "pine waves" or "wind in the pines". In addition to being a karate master, Funakoshi
was an avid poet and philosopher who would reportedly go for long walks in the forest where he would meditate and write his poetry.
Kan means training hall, or house, thus Shotokan referred to the "house of Shoto". This name was coined by Funakoshi's students
when they posted a sign above the entrance of the hall at which Funakoshi taught reading "Shoto kan".

By the late 1910s, Funakoshi had many students, of which a few were deemed capable of passing on their master's teachings.
Continuing his effort to garner widespread interest in Okinawan karate, Funakoshi ventured to mainland Japan in 1922.

In 1930, Funakoshi established an association named Dai-Nihon Karate-do Kenkyukai to promote communication and information
exchange among people who study karate-do. In 1936 Dai-Nippon Karate-do Kenkyukai changed its name to Dai-Nippon Karate-do
Shoto-kai. The association is known today as Shotokai. Shotokai is the official keeper of Funakoshi's Karate-do heritage.

In 1939, Funakoshi built the first Shōtōkan dojo in tokyo. He changed the name of karate to mean "empty hand" instead of "China
hand" (as referred to in Okinawa); the two words sound the same in Japanese, but are written differently. It was his belief that using
the term for "Chinese" would mislead people into thinking karate originated with Chinese boxing, Karate had borrowed many aspects
from Chinese boxing which the original creators say as being positive, as they had done with other martial arts. In addition, Funakoshi
argued in his autobiography that a philosophical evaluation of the use of "empty" seemed to fit as it implied a way which was not
tethered to any other physical object.

Funakoshi's interpretation of the word kara to mean "empty" was reported to have caused some recoil in Okinawa, prompting
Funakoshi to remain in Tokyo indefinitely. His extended stay eventually led to the creation of the Japan Karate Association (JKA) in
1949 with Funakoshi as the honorary head of the organization. Funakoshi was not supportive of all of the changes that the
organization eventually made to his karate style. He remained in Tokyo until his death in 1957. After World War II, Funakoshi's
surviving students formalized his teachings.

Funakoshi published several books on karate including his autobiography, Karate-Do: My Way of Life. His legacy, however, rests in a
document containing his philosophies of karate training now referred to as the niju kun, or "twenty principles". These rules are the
premise of training for all Shotokan practitioners and are published in a work titled The Twenty Guiding Principles of Karate. Within this
book, Funakoshi lays out 20 rules by which students of karate are urged to abide in an effort to "become better human beings"
Funakoshi's Karate-Do Kyohan "The Master Text" remains his most detailed publication, containing sections on history, basics and
kata and kumite. The famous Shotokan Tiger by Hoan adorns the hardback cover.

A memorial to Gichin Funakoshi was erected by the Shotokai at Engaku-ji, a temple in Kamakura, on December 1, 1968. Designed by
Kenji Ogata the monument features calligraphy by Funakoshi and Sōgen Asahina (1891–1979), chief priest of the temple which reads
Karate ni sente nashi (There is no first attack in karate), the second of Funakoshi’s Twenty Precepts. To the right of Funakoshi’s
precept is a copy of the poem he wrote on his way to Japan in 1922.

A second stone features an inscription by Nobuhide Ohama and reads:

Funakoshi Gichin Sensei, of karate-do, was born on June 10, 1870, in Shuri Okinawa. From about eleven years old he began to study
to-te jutsu under Azato Anko and Itosu Anko. He practiced diligently and in 1912 became the president of the Okinawan Shobukai. In
May of 1922, he relocated to Tokyo and became a professional teacher of karate-do. He devoted his entire life to the development of
karate-do. He lived out his eighty-eight years of life and left this world on April 26, 1957. Reinterpreting to-te jutsu, the Sensei
promulgated karate-do while not losing its original philosophy. Like bugei (classical martial arts), so too is the pinnacle of karate “mu”
(enlightenment): to purify and make one empty through the transformation from “jutsu” to “do”. Through his famous words “Karate ni
sente nashi” (There is no first attack in Karate) and “Karate wa kunshi no bugei” (Karate is the martial art of intelligent people), Sensei
helped us to better understand the term “jutsu.” In an effort to commemorate his virtue and great contributions to modern karate-do as
a pioneer, we, his loyal students, organised the Shotokai and erected this monument at the Enkakuji. “Kenzen ichi” (“The fist and Zen
are one”)

Chomo Hanashiro （花城 長茂）

Hanashiro was born in 1869 and at an early age began training with the man many consider to be the greatest
of all Tote masters, Matsumura Sokon (1809-1901), well known as "Bushi" Matsumura. Matsumura was quite
an old man at the time and Hanashiro was primarily a student of one of Matsumura's senior students, Itosu
Anko (1830-1915). Itosu shaped modern karate as much as any other person in history and spearheaded a
movement to bring Tote into the Okinawan school system around the turn of the century. Hanashiro remained
with Itosu, and acted as an assistant instructor for him up until his death in 1915. From early in the 20th
century, Hanashiro taught gymnastics at a junior high school in Shuri (Okinawa's capital) which gave him an
excellent opportunity to aid Itosu in the introduction of Tote into the school system.

In the 1920's, Hanashiro Chomo was one of the most highly regarded karate masters in Okinawa, a fact that
was acknowledged even by other masters. Despite this, information about him is rare in English language
texts, and is usually scattered in existing references.
It is difficult to talk about the life of Hanashiro Chomo without also talking about another of Itosu's senior students and assistants, Yabu
Kentsu (1863-1937), also originally a student of Matsumura. Yabu was probably most famous for his many challenge matches, all
without a single loss.

These two shared many common experiences and have remarkably similar karate careers. Both were noted as having exceptional
physiques in the 1891 Japanese army draft's medical exams. They were both pioneers in instructing karate in the school system in the
first decade of the 20th century, and also taught Tote in military schools. Both were also present at the famous Oct. 25th, 1936
meeting of Okinawan Masters. At this meeting, attended by the greatest masters of the time, the name "karate do" was officially
adopted over "Tote Jutsu". A photo of members of the meeting can be found on Page 7 of the Old Canadian Chito Ryu Technical
Manual and many other karate history books. Yabu and Hanashiro are in the middle of the bottom row, O-Sensei is 2nd from the left in
the top row.

An interesting story that demonstrates the association of Hanashiro and his dojo-mate Yabu well into their lives comes from Nagamine
Shoshin (1907-1998), founder of Matsubayashi Ryu (a well known branch of shorin ryu), and author of "The Essence of Okinawan
Karate-do". While studying at the Metropolitan Police Station in Tokyo in 1936, Nagamine met with Hanashiro Chomo and Kentsu
Yabu who warned him that the karate katas in Tokyo had changed considerably and that Nagamine should take pains to keep the
katas he taught in their original forms. I find this interesting, as Nagamine met with both masters at the same time, 50 years after they
were dojo mates at Bushi Matsumura's dojo. Obviously the two were very close.

Hanashiro was not only a pioneer in the school system, but he also pioneered the use of the word "karate". In his August 1905
publication, "Karate Shoshu Hen" (AKA "Karate Kumite"), the first known use of the modern kanji was used.

The original two characters for the art were pronounced Tote meaning, "China Hand." The first character, however, could also be
pronounced "kara." This character was changed to another that had the same pronunciation ("kara"). Thus the modern term "Karate-te
(empty hand) appeared

Hanashiro was one of the primary instructors for an organization formed in the early 1920's in Okinawa called the Ryukyu Tote
Kenkyukai (Okinawan Tote Research Club). The club was an expansion of an earlier organization formed in 1918 by Miyagi Chojun, a
famous Tote expert and founder of Goju Ryu. Originally the organization was meant to continue the teachings of Itosu Anko,
Higashionna Kanryo and Aragaki Seisho, the last generation of masters who had died between 1915 and 1918, leaving a great void.

Within this club, Okinawa's greatest masters hung around together, taught Tote and exchanged ideas. Hanashiro Chomo wasn't the
only teacher; others included Miyagi Chojun (the original organizer), Mabuni Kenwa (founder of Shito Ryu), Motobu Choyu (one of O-
Sensei Chitose's teachers, his teachings eventually became Motobu Ryu, a martial art called Te, precursor to Okinawan Tote).
Unfortunately, the Kenkyukai disbanded in the late 1920's, members stated that the demands of their students was the reason. The
face of karate today would be different if the Kenkyukai had remained in existence.
Hanashiro Chomo had a few famous students. Of particular note are Nakamura Shigeru (1892/95-1969 of Okinawan Kempo), Chitose
Tsuyoshi (1898-1984, founder Chito Ryu), Nakama Chozo (1899-1982, of Kobayashi Ryu), Shimabukuro Zenryo (1904-1969, founder
of Seibukan Shorin Ryu) and Kinjo Hiroshi (1919-, Patrick McCarthy's current teacher and famous karate historian).

From discussions with Patrick McCarthy, it is believed that Hanashiro received the kata Ryusan from a Chinese tea merchant and
White Crane gungfu practitioner named Gokenki. Gokenki worked for the Eiko Chako Tea Company and taught White Crane in
Okinawa between 1912 and his death in 1940. Gokenki was an occasional member of the 1920's Kenkyukai, mentioned earlier, and
associated with many of Okinawa's great masters during this time.

1945 was a horrific year for karate and for Okinawa in general. The "Battle of Okinawa" was fought and Okinawa was relentlessly
pounded by U.S. artillery and occupied by U.S. troops. The island where karate originated was caught between the United States and
Japan near the end of the Second World War. Best estimates coming from Okinawa after the war state that approximately 60,000
civilians were killed during the 82 days of fighting. The time after the battle was no less forgiving and many died of starvation and
disease, including many karate masters and their students. Hanashiro Chomo was one of the unfortunate victims of this time

Motobu Chōki (本部 朝基)

The Okinawan karateka Motobu Chōki (1870-1944), younger brother of karateka Motobu Chōyū, was born
in Akahira Village in Shuri, Okinawa, then capital of the Ryūkyū Kingdom.

His father, Lord Motobu Chōshin (Motobu Aji Chōsin) was a descendant of the sixth son of the Okinawan
King, Shō Shitsu (1629–1668), namely Shō Kōshin, also known as Prince Motobu Chōhei (1655–1687).
Chōki was the third son of Motobu Udun ("Motobu Palace"), one of cadet branches of the royal Okinawan
Shō family.

As the last of three sons, Motobu Chōki was not entitled to an education in his family's style of Te (an
earlier name for karate). Despite this Motobu was very interested in the art, spending much of his youth
training on his own, hitting the makiwara, and lifting heavy stones to increase his strength. He is reported
to have been very agile, which gained him the nickname Motobu no Saru, or "Motobu the Monkey." He
began practicing karate under Ankō Itosu and continued under Matsumura Sōkon, Sakuma Pechin and
Kōsaku Matsumora

Although he was reputed by his detractors to have been a violent and crude street fighter, with no formal training, Motobu was a
student of several of Okinawa's most prominent karate practitioners. Ankō Itosu (1831–1915), Sōkon Matsumura (1809–1899),
Sakuma Pechin, Kōsaku Matsumora (1829–1898), and Tokumine Pechin (1860–1910) all taught Motobu at one time or another. Many
teachers found his habit of testing his fighting prowess via street fights in the tsuji (red light district) undesirable, but his noble birth (as
a descendant of the royal Okinawan Shō family) may have made it hard for them to refuse.

Popular myth holds that Motobu only knew one kata, Naifanchi (Naihanchi). Although he favored this kata, and called it "the
fundamental of karate," he also made comments on the practice of Passai,(Bassai) Chintō, and Rōhai. Other sources describe
Sanchin, Kusanku, and Ueseishi as having been part of his repertoire. He apparently developed his own kata, Shiro Kuma (White
Bear). Motobu lived and taught karate in Japan until 1941, when he returned to Okinawa, dying shortly thereafter. Prior to this, he had
made several trips there to study orthodox kata and kobudō in an effort to preserve the traditional forms of the art

After a number of failed business enterprises, Motobu moved to Osaka, Japan, in 1921. A friend convinced Motobu to enter a "boxing
vs judo" match which was taking place. These matches were popular at the time, and often pitted a visiting foreign boxer against a
jujutsu or judo man. According to an account of the fight from a 1925 King magazine article, Motobu is said to have entered into a
challenge match with a foreign boxer, described as a Russian boxer or strongman. Early rounds involved evasion by the smaller man,
but after a few rounds, according to the account, Motobu moved in on the taller, larger boxer and knocked him out with a single hand
strike to the head. Since reporters were not familiar with karate at that time, it is also possible that Motobu kicked the taller man in the
groin to enable striking the head. Motobu was then 52 years old.

The King article detailed Motobu's surprising victory, although the illustrations clearly show Gichin Funakoshi as the Okinawan fighter
in question. This publication error increased the bitter rivalry between the two men, and led to an apparent confrontation. The two were
often at odds in their opinions about how karate ought to be taught and used.

The popularity generated by this unexpected victory propelled both Motobu and karate to a degree of fame that neither had previously
known in Japan. Motobu was petitioned by several prominent individuals, including boxing champ "Piston" Horiguchi, to begin
teaching. He opened a dojo, the Daidokan, where he taught until the onset of World War II in 1941. Motobu faced considerable
difficulties in his teaching. Chief among those was his inability to read and speak mainland Japanese. Okinawan dialects are nearly
incomprehensible to mainlanders. As a result, much of his instruction was through translators, which led to the rumor that he was
illiterate. This rumor has been largely discredited by the existence of samples of Motobu's handwriting, which is in a clear and literate
hand. In a Tsunami video production on the Motobu style, Motobu Chōsei comments that his father's language difficulties may have
been motivated more by protest at being a displaced member (by the Japanese annexation of Okinawa) of the Ryukyuan aristocracy
than by inability

Motobu Chōki's third son, Chōsei Motobu (1925- ), still teaches the style that his father passed on to him. As a point of reference, it is
important to distinguish between the "Motobu-ryū" which Chōsei teaches, and "Motobu Udun Di", the unique style of the Motobu family,
which bears a resemblance to aikijutsu. Now Chōsei Motobu is the second Sōke of Motobu-ryū and the 14th Sōke of Motobu Udun Di.
Motobu's karate is marked by a series of two man kumite drills, which were an advancement in the popular thinking and instructional
methods of the time. His curriculum heavily favored the Naihanchi kata because of the correspondence between its applications
(bunkai) and actual fighting, which he experienced in brawls as a young man. Below are some of his ideas regarding the 'kata:

 "The position of the legs and hips in Naifuanchin (the old name for Naihanchi) no Kata is the basics of karate."
 "Twisting to the left or right from the Naifuanchin stance will give you the stance used in a real confrontation. Twisting ones way
of thinking about Naifuanchin left and right, the various meanings in each movement of the kata will also become clear."
 "The blocking hand must be able to become the attacking hand in an instant. Blocking with one hand and then countering with
the other is not true bujutsu. Real bujutsu presses forward and blocks and counters in the same motion."
 Motobu Chōki's third son, Chōsei Motobu (1925- ), still teaches the style that his father passed on to him. As a point of
reference, it is important to distinguish between the "Motobu-ryū" which Chōsei teaches, and "Motobu Udun Di", the unique style
of the Motobu family, which bears a resemblance to aikijutsu. Now Chōsei Motobu is the second Sōke of Motobu-ryū and the
14th Sōke of Motobu Udun Di.

Motobu's karate is marked by a series of two man kumite drills, which were an advancement in the popular thinking and
instructional methods of the time. His curriculum heavily favored the Naihanchi kata because of the correspondence between its
applications (bunkai) and actual fighting, which he experienced in brawls as a young man. Below are some of his ideas
regarding the 'kata:

Motobu trained many students who went on to become noteworthy practitioners of karate in their own right,
including:

o Nakamura Shigeru, founder of Okinawa Kenpo

o Tatsuo Yamada, founder of Nihon Kenpo Karate-dō
o Sannosuke Ueshima, founder of Kushin-ryū
o Yasuhiro Konishi, founder of Shindō jinen-ryū
o Kose Kokuba (Yukimori Kuniba), founder of Seishin Kai
o Hironori Ōtsuka, founder of Wadō-ryū
o Tatsuo Shimabuku, founder of Isshin-ryū
o Shōshin Nagamine, founder of Matsubayashi-ryū
o Katsuya Miyahira, founder of Shōrin-ryū Shidōkan
 Chotoku Kyan (喜屋武 朝徳)

Chotoku Kyan (Kyan Chōtoku) born December 1870 in Shuri, Okinawa - September 20, 1945 in Ishikawa,
Okinawa) was an Okinawan karate master who was famous for both his karate skills, and his colorful
personal life. Chotoku Kyan (also spelled Chotoku Kiyan) was a large influence in the styles of karate that
would become Shorin-Ryu and its related styles.

Chotoku Kyan was born as the first son of Chofu Kyan who was a steward to the Ryukyuan King before
the realm's official assimilation into Japan as the Okinawan Prefecture. Kyan was noted for being small in
stature, suffering from asthma and frequently bed-ridden. He also had poor eyesight, which may have led
to his early nickname Chan Migwa (squinty-eyed Chan)

Kyan's father is noted as possibly having a background in karate and even teaching Kyan tegumi in his
early years. When Kyan was 20 years old, he began his karate training under Kosaku Matsumora and
Kokan Oyadomari.

While at 30 years of age, he was considered a master of the karate styles known as Shuri-te and Tomari-te .The most long time
student of Kyan was Zenryō Shimabukuro, who studied with Kyan for over 10 years. Kyan is also noted for encouraging his students to
visit brothels and to engage in alcohol consumption at various times.

Kyan was a participant in the 1936 meeting of Okinawan masters, where the term "karate" was standardized, and other far-reaching
decisions were made regarding martial arts of the island at the time.

Kyan survived the Battle of Okinawa in 1945, but died from fatigue and malnutrition in September of that year
 Chōshin Chibana (知花 朝信)

Chōshin Chibana (Chibana Chōshin 1885 - 1969) was an Okinawan martial artist who developed Shorin-
ryū karate based on what he had learned from Ankō Itosu.

Chibana was the last of the pre-World War karate masters, also called the "Last Warrior of Shuri" He was
the first to establish a Japanese ryu name for an Okinawan karate style, calling Itosu's karate "Shorin-Ryu"
(or "the small forest style") in 1928

Chibana Choshin was born June 5, 1885, into a distinguished family in Okinawa's Shuri Tori-Hori village
(presently Naha City, Shuri Tori-Hori Town). His family traced their lineage from a branch of the Katsuren
Court and Choharu, Prince of Kochinta, fifth son of King Shoshitsu (Tei), but lost their titles and status after
Mutsuhito, the Meiji Emperor, banned the caste system in Japan. To support themselves, the family turned
to sake brewing.

Choshin began his study of martial arts under Ankō Itosu in 1889 when he was about fifteen years old. He applied and was accepted
as a suitable candidate for instruction, and for thirteen years until he turned 28, Choshin trained under Itosu. When Itosu died at the
age of 85, he continued to practice alone for five years, and then opened his first dojo in Tori-hori district at the age of 34. He later
opened a second dojo in Kumojo district of Naha City

During the World War II Battle of Okinawa, Chibana lost his family, his livlihood, his dojo, a number of students, and nearly his life. He
fled the war, but afterward returned to Shuri from Chinen Village and began teaching again. He first taught in the Gibo area, and then
at ten other sites in the Yamakawa district of Shuri and Naha, eventually relocating his main headquarters (hombu dojo) from Asato to
Mihara.

From February 1954 to December 1958, Chibana served as Karate Advisor and Senior Instructor for the Shuri Police Precinct. In May
of 1956, the Okinawa Karate Federation was formed and he assumed office as its first President. Chibana was associated with
Chotoku Kyan, with whom he performed karate demonstrations to promote Shorin-Ryu style of karate.

By 1957, Chibana had received the title of Hanshi (High Master) from the Dai Nippon Butokukai (The Greater Japan Martial Virtue
Association). In 1960, he received the First Sports Award from the Okinawa Times Newspaper for his overall accomplishments in the
study and practice of traditional Okinawan Karate-do. On April 29, 1968, was awarded the 4th Order of Merit by the Emperor of Japan
in recognition of his devotion to the study and practice of Okinawan karate-do

In 1964, Chibana learned that he had terminal throat cancer, but he continued to teach students in his dojo. In 1966 he was admitted
into Tokyo's Cancer Research Center for radiation treatment and after some improvement, Chibana once again resumed teaching with
the assistance of his grandson, Nakazato Akira (Shorin-ryu 7-Dan). By the end of 1968, Chibana-sensei's condition worsened and he
returned to Ohama Hospital and died at 6:40 a.m. on the 26 February 1969, at the age of 83

Kenwa Mabuni (摩文仁 賢和)

Kenwa Mabuni (Mabuni Kenwa1889 - 1952) was one of the first karateka to teach karate on mainland
Japan and is creditied as developing the style known as Shitō-ryū (糸東流).

 Kenwa Mabuni was a peer of Funakoshi Gichin (founder of Shotokan).

 Funakoshi Gichin learned kata from Kenwa Mabuni: In order to expand his knowledge he sent his
son Gigō to study kata in Mabuni's dōjō in Osaka.

 Kenwa Mabuni, Motobu Chōki and other Okinawans were actively teaching karate in Japan prior to
this point when Gichin Funakoshi 'officially' brought karate from Okinawa to mainland Japan.

 Shitō-ryū is a school of karate that was founded by Kenwa Mabuni in 1931. In 1939 the style was
officially registered in the Butoku Kai headquarters.

Born in Shuri on Okinawa in 1889, Mabuni Sensei was a descendant of the famous Onigusukini Samurai family. Perhaps because of
his weak constitution,
he began his instruction in his home town in the art of Shuri-Te at the age of 13, under the tutelage of the legendary Ankō Yasutsune
Itosu(1813-1915). He trained diligently for several years, learning many kata from this great master. It was Itosu who first developed
the Pinan kata, which were most probably derived from the 'Kusanku' form.

One of his close friends, Sensei Chōjun Miyagi(founder of Gōjū-ryū) introduced Mabuni to another great of that period, Sensei
Higaonna Kanryō and began to learn Naha-Te under him as well. While both Itosu and Higashionna taught a 'hard-soft' style of
Okinawan 'Te', their methods and emphases were quite distinct: the Itosu syllabus included straight and powerful techniques as
exemplified in the Naifanchi and Bassai kata; the Higashionna syllabus, on the other hand, stressed circular motion and shorter
fighting methods as seen in the popular Seipai and Kururunfa forms. Shitō-ryū focuses on both hard and soft techniques to this day.

Although he remained true to the teachings of these two great masters, Mabuni sought instruction from a number of other teachers;
including Seishō Aragaki, Tawada Shimboku, Sueyoshi Jino and Wu Xianhui (a Chinese master known as Go-Kenki). In fact, Mabuni
was legendary for his encyclopaedic knowledge of kata and their bunkai applications. By the 1920s, he was regarded as the foremost
authority on Okinawan kata and their history and was much sought after as a teacher by his contemporaries. There is even some
evidence that his expertise was sought out in China, as well as Okinawa and mainland Japan. As a police officer, he taught local law
enforcement officers and at the behest of his teacher Itosu, began instruction in the various grammar schools in Shuri and Naha.

In an effort to popularize karate in mainland Japan, Mabuni made several trips to Tokyo in 1917 and 1928. Although much that was
known as 'Te' (Chinese Fist) or Karate had been passed down through many generations with jealous secrecy, it was his view that it
should be taught to anyone who sought knowledge with honesty and integrity. In fact, many masters of his generation held similar
views on the future of Karate: Sensei Gichin Funakoshi (founder of Shotokan,another contemporary, had moved to Tokyo in the 1920s
to promote their art on the mainland as well. During this period, Mabuni also taught many other prominent martial artists, such as
Otsuka Hironori (founder of Wadō-ryū) and Konishi Yasuhiro (founder of Shintō Jinen-ryū). Both men were students of Funakoshi
sensei.

By 1929, Mabuni had moved to Osaka on the mainland, to become a full-time karate instructor of a style he originally called Hanko-
ryū, or 'half-hard style'. In an effort to gain acceptance in the Japanese Butokukai, the governing body for all officially recognized
martial arts in that country, he and his contemporaries decided to call their art 'Karate' or 'Empty Hand', rather than 'Chinese Hand',
perhaps to make it sound more Japanese. Around the same time, perhaps when first introducing his style to the Butokukai, is when it's
believed the name of the style changed to Shitō-ryū, in honour of its main influences. Mabuni derived the name for his new style from
the first Kanji character in their names, Itosu and Higashionna. With the support of Sensei-ryūsho Sakagami (1915-1993), he opened a
number of Shitō-ryū dojo in the Osaka area, including Kansai University and the Japan Karate-dō Kai dojo. To this day, the largest
contingent of Shitō-ryū practitioners in Japan is centred in the Osaka area. However, Mabuni's contemporary Shinpan Shiroma
remained in Shuri, Okinawa, and established Okinawan Shito-ryu

Mabuni published a number of books on the subject and continued to systematize the instruction method. In his latter years, he
developed a number of formal kata, such as Aoyagi and Meijō, for example, which were designed specifically for women's self
defense. Perhaps more than any other Master in the last century, Mabuni was steeped in the traditions and history of Karate-do, yet
forward thinking enough to realize that it could spread throughout the world. To this day, Shitō-ryū recognizes the influences of Itosu
and Higashionna: the kata syllabus of Shito-ryū is still often listed in such a way as to show the two lineages.

Kenwa Mabuni died in 1952, and he is succeeded by his sons Kenei and Kenzo. His son Kenzo Mabuni died in 26 June, 2005, and
was succeeded by his daughter
 Hironori Ōtsuka (大塚 博紀)
Ōtsuka Hironori June 1, 1892 – January 29, 1982) was a Japanese master of karate who created the
Wadō-ryū style of karate. He was the first Grand Master of Wadō-ryū karate, and received high awards
within Japan for his contributions to karate.

Ōtsuka was born on June 1, 1892, in Shimodate City, Ibaraki, Japan. He was one of four children to
Tokujiro Ōtsuka, a medical doctor. At the age of 5 years, he began training in the martial art of jujutsu
under his great-uncle, Chojiro Ebashi (a samurai). Ōtsuka's father took over his martial arts education in
1897. At the age of 13, Ōtsuka became the student of Shinzaburo Nakayama in Shindō Yōshin-ryū jujutsu.

In 1911, while studying business administration at Waseda University in Tokyo, Ōtsuka trained in various
jujutsu schools in the area. Before his studies were complete, his father died and he was unable to
continue studying; he commenced work as a clerk at the Kawasaki Bank. Although he wished to become
a full-time instructor, he did not pursue this course at this point out of respect for his mother's wishes
Ōtsuka was born on June 1, 1892, in Shimodate City, Ibaraki, Japan. He was one of four children to Tokujiro Ōtsuka, a medical doctor.
At the age of 5 years, he began training in the martial art of jujutsu under his great-uncle, Chojiro Ebashi (a samurai). Ōtsuka's father
took over his martial arts education in 1897.
At the age of 13, Ōtsuka became the student of Shinzaburo Nakayama in Shindō Yōshin-ryū jujutsu.

In 1911, while studying business administration at Waseda University in Tokyo, Ōtsuka trained in various jujutsu schools in the area.
Before his studies were complete, his father died and he was unable to continue studying; he commenced work as a clerk at the
Kawasaki Bank. Although he wished to become a full-time instructor, he did not pursue this course at this point out of respect for his
mother's wishes

On June 1, 1921, Ōtsuka received the menkyo kaiden (certificate of mastery and license to teach) in Shindō Yōshin-ryū jujutsu, and
became the fourth master of that school. Jujutsu was not to become his primary art, however; in 1922, Ōtsuka began training in
Shotokan karate under Gichin Funakoshi, who was a new arrival in Japan. In 1927, he also established a medical practice and
specialized in treating martial arts training injuries.

By 1928, Ōtsuka was an assistant instructor in Funakoshi's school. He also trained under Chōki Motobu and Kenwa Mabuni, and
studied kobudo, around this time. Ōtsuka began to have philosophical disagreements with Funakoshi, and the two men parted ways in
the early 1930s. This may have come, in part, from his decision to train with Motobu. Funakoshi's karate emphasized kata, a series of
movements and techniques linked by the fighting principles. Funakoshi did not believe that sparring was necessary for realistic
training. Motobu, however, emphasized the necessity of free application, and created a series of two-person kumite called yakusoku
kumite.
On April 1, 1934, Ōtsuka opened his own karate school the Dai Nippon Karate Shinko Kai at 63 Banchi Suehiro-Cho, Kanda, Tokyo.
He blended Shotokan karate with his knowledge of Shindō Yōshin-ryū jujutsu to form Wadō-ryū karate, although the art would only
later take on this name several years later. With recognition of his style as an independent karate style, Ōtsuka became a full-time
instructor. In 1940, his style was registered at the Butokukai, Kyoto, for the demonstration of various martial arts, together with
Shotokan, Shitō-ryū, and Gōjū-ryū.

Following World War II, the practice of martial arts in Japan was banned. After a few years, however, the ban was lifted; through the
1950s, Ōtsuka held various karate competitions. In 1964, three of Ōtsuka's students (Tatsuo Suzuki, Toru Arakawa, and Hajime
Takashima) from Nihon University toured Europe and the United States of America, demonstrating Wadō-ryū karate.

On April 29, 1966, Emperor Hirohito awarded Ōtsuka the Kun-Go-To (Fifth Order of Merit of the Sacred Treasure). The Emperor later
also awarded him the Soko Kyokujitsu-Sho medal for his contributions to karate. In the next few years, Ōtsuka wrote two books on
karate: Karate-Do, Volume 1 (1967, focused on kata) and Karate-Do, Volume 2 (1970, focused on kumite).

On October 9, 1972, the Kokusai Budo (International Martial Arts Federation) awarded Ōtsuka the title of Shodai Karate-do Meijin
Judan (first-generation karate master 10th dan); this was the first time this honor had been bestowed on a karate practitioner.

Ōtsuka continued to teach and lead Wadō-ryū karate into the 1980s, and died on January 29, 1982. His son became the second Grand
Master of Wadō-ryū karate and honored his father by taking the name "Hironori Ōtsuka

Kanken Tōyama (遠山寛賢)

Kanken Tōyama (Tōyama Kanken, 24 September 1888 – 24 November 1966) was a Japanese
schoolteacher and karate master, who developed the foundation for the Shūdōkan karate style. Born
into a noble family in Shuri, Okinawa, Japan, he was given the name Oyadameri Kanken.

He trained under: Itosu Anko and Itarashiki primarily, and under Ankichi Aragaki, Azato Anko, Choshin
Chibana, Oshiro, Tana, Yabu Kentsu, Yasutsune Itosu and Kanryo Higashionna.

Nine years old, he began his karate (Shuri-te) training under Ankō Itosu, and remained a student there
until Itosu died in 1915. He also studied Naha-te under Kanryō Higaonna and Tomari-te under Ankichi
Aragaki.

In 1924 Toyama moved his family to Taiwan where he taught in an elementary school and studied
Chinese Ch'uan Fa, which included Taku, Makaitan, Rutaobai, and Ubo. Given this diverse martial arts
background, the Japanese government soon recognized Toyama's prowess, and awarded him the right
 to promote to any rank in any style of Okinawan karate. An official gave Toyama the title of master
instructor.
In early 1930 he returned to Japan and on March 20, 1930, he opened his first dojo in Tokyo. He named his dojo Shu Do Kan meaning
"the hall for the study of the karate way." Toyama taught what he had learnt from Itosu and the Ch'uan Fa and did not claim to have
originated a new style of karate. In 1946, Toyama founded the All Japan Karate-Do Federation (AJKF) with the intention of unifying the
various forms of karate of Japan and Okinawa under one governing organization.

The individuals listed below are Shudokan pupils of Toyama. The translated partial list includes the karate-do shihan and hanshi title
license and high degree rank (fifth dan to eighth dan). The symbol indicates persons and organizations that did not train directly with
Toyama, but were confirmed as members with the responsibilities of the shihan title and high degree rank. The symbol indicate partial
or missing translations.

Tatsuo Shimabuku (島袋 龍夫)

Tatsuo Shimabuku (September 19, 1908 – May 30, 1975) was the founder of Isshin-ryū ("Whole Heart Style",
"One Heart Way") karate.

Tatsuo Shimabuku was born in Kyan [Chan] village, Okinawa, on September 19, 1908. He was first born of ten
children born into a farming family. By the age of 12, he had a strong desire to study the martial arts. He walked
to the nearby village of Shuri a distance of 12 miles, to the home of his uncle, Shinko Ganiku, a fortuneteller.
Shinkichi primarily learned to be a fortuneteller from his uncle, but also studied the rudiments of the karate that
his uncle had learned while in China.

Eizo Shimabukuro (b.1925) is a younger brother of Tatsuo's who also excelled in martial arts. Eizo studied
under his elder brother, Tatsuo, and is said to have also studied under the same masters as Tatsuo, such as
Chotoku Kyan, Choki Motobu, Chojun Miyagi, and Shinken Taira.
While the older brother went on to create his own new style of karate, Eizo quickly moved up the ranks in Shōrin-ryū (Shōbayashi).

By the time Shimabuku was a teenager, he had obtained the physical level of a person six years his senior. His physical condition was
due to his karate training as well as his working on the family farm. He excelled in athletic events on the island. By the time he was 17,
he was consistently winning in two of his favorite events, the javelin throw and high jump.

Around the age of 23, because of Shimabuku's desire to further his knowledge, he began to study Shuri-te, which later became known
as Shorin-ryu (Shao-lin Style) under Chotoku Kyan in the village of Kadena. He began his training with Kyan in 1932. Kyan taught
Shimabuku at his home. Kyan also taught at the Okinawa Prefectural Agricultural School. Within a short time, he became one of
Kyan's best students and, under Kyan's instruction, learned the katas: Seisan, Naihanchi, Wansu, Chinto and Kusanku along with the
weapons kata Tokumine-no-kun and basic Sai. He also began his study of "Ki" or Chinkuchi in Okinawan dialect) for which Kyan was
most noted. Shimabuku studied with Kyan until 1936. He always considered Kyan his first formal Sensei and was very loyal to him.

Shimabuku had always been fascinated by Naha-te (Goju Ryu) and sought out Chojun Miyagi, the founder of Goju Ryu. Miyagi's
teacher was Higaonna Kanryo (also called Higashionna) who brought a derivative of Kenpo kin gai is the name of this system. pangai
noon is the forerunner of Uechi-ryu) from China to Okinawa. Eventually this became Naha-te. From Miyagi, Tatsuo learned the kata
Seiunchin ("Seize-Control-Fight") and Sanchin ("Three-Fights/Conflicts").

After his studies with Miyagi, in 1938, Shimabuku sought out another famous Shorin-Ryu instructor, Choki Motobu. Choki Motobu was
probably the most colorful of all of Shimabuku's instructors. Motobu had many teachers for short periods of time, including some
notables such as Anko Itosu (Shuri-te) and Kosaku Matsumora (Tomari-te). Motobu was known for getting into street fights often in his
youth to promote the effectiveness of karate. Shimabuku studied with Motobu for approximately one year.

Shimabuku opened his first dojo in 1946 after the war in the village of Konbu, near Tengan village.

Coming from a farming family, Shimabuku had always been poor, yet he was very innovative and opportunistic. He had a natural talent
in adapting things to work for him. As a young man, he discovered a way to bind tile to the roofs of homes in Chun Village without
using mud, which had been the traditional way. Prior to World War II, he saw an opportunity and started a small business. Purchasing
several horses and carts, he received a contract to help in the construction of Japanese airfield in Kadena. He was doing quite well
until the Allied invasion of Okinawa began. During one of the bombing raids by Allied forces, his business was destroyed.

Shimabuku continued to study and develop his skills in both styles, but he was not satisfied that either style held the completeness he
felt a style should have. His interest in ancient weapons (Kobudo) continued to grow and he sought out the most renowned weapons
instructors on the island for at the time he only knew bo (staff) kata, Tokumine no Kun and basic sai techniques he learned from
Chotoku Kyan. In a short time, he became a master in such weapons as the Bo and Sai. (During the late 1950s and early 1960s, he
continued his study of Kobudo with one of Moden Yabiku’s top students, Shinken Taira. This training took place in Shimabuku’s dojo in
Agena.) He learned Hama Higa no Tuifa, Shishi no Kun, Chatan Yara no Sai, and Urashi Bo. Shimabuku created Kyan Chotoku sai
and Kusanku sai using sai techniques he learned from Chotoku Kyan. To honor Chotoku Kyan, he named his first sai kata after him.

It was during the late 1940s that Shimabuku began experimenting with different basic techniques and Kata from the Shorin-Ryu and
Goju-Ryu systems as well as Kobudo. He comes to experimenting with his own ideas. He called the style he was teaching Chan-
migwha-te after Chotoku Kyan nickname Chan-migwa. Kyan’s nickname was “Chan-migwa”, meaning “small-eyed-Chan." "Chan" in
the Okinawa dialect “Uchinaguchi” is “Kyan.In Uchinaguchi “mi means “eye." The suffix “Gwa” or “Guwa” mean's “small.” So Chan-
migwa means “Small eye Chan (Kyan).” Chan migwa-te was the style taught until he renamed his style "Isshin-ryū" on January 15,
1956.

By the early 1950s Shimabuku was refining his karate teaching combining what he felt was the best of the Shorin-Ryu and Goju-Ryu
styles, the weapons forms he had studied, and incorporating his own techniques. As his experimentation continued, his adaptation of
techniques and katas were not widely publicized. He consulted with several of the masters on Okinawa concerning his wish to develop
a new style. Because he was highly respected as a karate Master, he received their blessings. (These would later be rescinded due to
the many radical changes made in traditional Okinawan karate.)

One night in 1955, Mr. Shimabuku fell asleep and dreamed of a goddess riding a dragon. The goddess was Kannon the Buddhist
Goddess of mercy and compassion.

Three Stars appeared symbolizing the three styles Isshin-ryu derived from, Goju-Ryu, Shorin-Ryu, and Kobudo. The stars can also
represent the Physical, Mental, and Spiritual strength needed for Isshin-ryu. The gray evening sky symbolized serenity and implies that
karate is to be used only for self-defense.

The next morning when Shimabuku awoke, he felt that his dream had been a divine revelation. He met with his top student, Eiko
Kaneshi, and told him of his dream and his desire to break away from Okinawan tradition and start a new style of karate. The day was
January 15, 1956. Upon announcing his decision to start a new style, many of his Okinawan students left, including his brother Eizo.

The new system was not initially given a name, and in fact, went through 2 name modifications before Isshin-ryū was finally adopted.
However, the official start of Isshinryu karate is January 15, 1956. The Isshin-ryū Megami was drawn from Shimabuku’s description by
Shosu Nakamine, Eiko Kaneshi’s uncle, and was chosen to be the symbol for Isshin-ryū karate.

During his karate career, Shimabuku changed to his name “Tatsuo,” meaning “Dragon Man.” Whenever asked about this change,
Shimabuku would reply that “Tatsuo” was his professional karate name. He also was given the nickname, “Sunsu”, by the mayor of
Kyan (Chan) Village. Sunsu was a name of a dance that was created by Shimabuku's grandfather.
 Gigō Funakoshi (船越義豪)

Gigō Funakoshi (Funakoshi Gigō, Funakoshi Yoshitaka in Japanese) (1906—1945) was the third
son of Gichin Funakoshi(the founder of Shōtōkan karate) and is widely credited with developing the
modern karate Shotokan style.

Gigo Funakoshi was born in Okinawa and diagnosed with tuberculosis at the age of seven. He was
sickly as a child and began the formal study of karate-do at the age of twelve as a means to
improve his health. In the early years, Gichin Funakoshi often took Gigo with him to his trainings
with Anko Azato and Anko Itosu. Gigo moved from Okinawa to Tokyo with his father when he was
17, and later became a radiographer of the Section of Physical and Medical Consultation of the
Ministry of Education.
When his father's Shihan (senior assistant instructor) Takeshi Shimoda passed away Gigo
assumed his position within the Shotokan organization teaching in various universities. Gichin
Funakoshi transformed karate from a purely self-defense fighting technique to a philosophical
martial Dō (way of life), or gendai budo, but his son Gigō began to develop a karate technique that
definitively separated Japanese karate-do from the local Okinawan arts.

Between 1936 and 1945, Gigo gave it a completely different and powerful Japanese flavor based on his study of modern
kendo (the way of the japanese sword) under sensei Hakudo Nakayama. Gigo's work on Karate development was primarily
assisted by Shigeru Egami and Genshin Hironishi

Through his teaching position and understanding of Japanese martial arts, Gigō became the technical creator of modern
shotokan karate. In 1946 the book Karate Do Nyumon by Gigo and Gichin Funakoshi was released. Gigo had written the
technical part, whereas his father Gichin wrote the preamble and historical parts.

While the ancient arts of To-de and shuri-te emphasized the use and development of the upper body, open hand attacks, short
distances, joint locks, basic grappling, pressure point striking and use of the front kick and variations of it, Gigō developed long
distance striking techniques using the low stances found in kendo kata. Gigo developed higher kicks including mawashi geri
(round kick), yoko geri kekomi (thrusting side kick), yoko geri keage (snap side kick), fumikiri (cutting side kick directed to soft
targets), ura mawashi geri (quarter rotation front-round kick—though some credit Kase-sensei with the creation of this
technique), ura mawashi geri (360 degrees turning round kick) and ushiro geri kekomi (thrusting back kick). Yoshitaka was
especially known for his deep stances and kicking techniques, and he introduced kiba dachi (side stance), yoko geri (side kick),
and mai geri (front kick) forms to the Shotokan style. All these techniques became part of the already large arsenal brought
from the ancient Okinawan styles.
Gigo's kicking techniques were performed with a much higher knee-lift than in previous styles, and the use of the hips was
emphasized. Other technical developments included the turning of the torso to a half-facing position (hanmi) when blocking,
and thrusting the rear leg and hips when performing the techniques. These adaptations allowed the delivery of a penetrating
attack with the whole body through correct body alignment. Gigo also promoted free sparring.

Gigō's kumite (fighting) style was to strike hard and fast, using low stances and long attacks, chained techniques and foot
sweeps. Integration of these changes into the Shotokan style immediately separated Shotokan from Okinawan karate. Gigo
also emphasized the use of oi tsuki (lunge punch) and gyaku tsuki (reverse lunge punch). The training sessions in his dojo
were exhausting, and during these, Gigo expected his students to give twice as much energy as they would put into a real
confrontation. He expected this over-training would prepare them for an actual combat situation, should it arise.

The difficult living conditions of World War II weakened Gigo, but he continued training. He died of tuberculosis at the age of 39
on 24 November 1945, in Tokyo, Japan.

Tsuyoshi Chitose
The history of Chito-ryu karate begins with our founder, Tsuyoshi
Chitose (1898-1984). He was born in the Kumochi area of Naha
City on the island of Okinawa on October 18, 1898. It was the 29th
year of the Meiji era in Japan. Here on this small island, known as
the cradle of karate-do, Tsuyoshi Chitose grew up and spent his
early formative years.

His original birth name was Chinen (Gochoku) Masuo. His father
Chinen (Masuo) Chiyoyu, married into his wife's last name, and was
not a practitioner of karate. Chitose Sensei changed his name to
Tsuyoshi Chitose for personal reasons after he moved to Tokyo in
1922 to attend medical college.
In tracing the history of Chito-ryu, we must also look into the historical influences that
shaped Chitose Sensei's martial arts experiences and impacted our art of today. The
old karate and martial arts teachers were responsible for influencing future generations
of karate practitioners with the ideas they developed during their lifetimes. Some of
these ideas were passed to Doctor Chitose and aided him in his creation of Chito-ryu.
Chitose Sensei's mother's grandfather was a very famous karate master. His name was
Sokon (Bushi) Matsumura (1797-1889). Matsumura Sensei was considered one of the
great karate (Tode) figures of the nineteenth century. Matsumura Sensei started his
karate training when he was thirteen years old. His father, Sofuku Matsumura, took him
to see a seventy eight year old karate teacher named Tode (Karate) Sakugawa.
Sakugawa Sensei (1733-1815) was born in Akata Cho, a small section of the city of
Shuri, Okinawa. When Sakugawa was a young man he had been a student of Takahara
Peichin (1683 - 1760). He had also studied for six years (1756 to 1762) with a Chinese
military envoy (Kusanku). It is from this part of our history that we get the kata - Seisan,
Niseishi, Sochin, Sakugawa No Kon Sho, and Kusanku. Years later Bushi Matsumura
had an opportunity to train with a Chinese trader named Chinto. When Chinto returned
to China, Matsumura Sensei developed a kata from the many movements he had
learned and named it Chinto in his teacher's honor. This kata is presently required for
Sho-Dan (1st degree black belt) by the U. S. Chito-ryu Karate Federation.

In 1886 Jigoro Kano, the founder of Judo, established the kyu/dan belt system. In 1907 he designed the
Judo uniform from which the karate uniform is taken, except that the karate jacket is much lighter in weight.

In 1895 the Japanese government created the Dai Nippon Butokukai to oversee the martial arts, and
provided two titles - Hanshi, the highest award, and Kyoshi. In 1934 the Dai Nippon Butokukai created a
third title, Renshi, which was below that of Kyoshi. On April 12, 1924 Gichin Funakoshi became the first
karate teacher to award black belts when he adopted Jigoro Kano's practice of awarding this rank to
advanced students. Experiments in kumite training were initiated between 1924 and 1927 at Tokyo
University. By 1927 these students were practicing tournament type sparring. All these elements played
major roles in the development of Chito-ryu.

Chitose Sensei started his Tode (karate) training when he was seven years old (1905). His first teacher
was a sixty year old man by the name of Unchu (Nigaki) Kamade Arakaki (1840-1920). Arakaki Sensei
taught the young Chitose his first kata - Seisan.The method of teaching karate in those days was to teach
kata. The practice of basics and kumite, which is common today, was unknown. In the olden days many
karate teachers refused to have or claim a style. They said that they just taught karate (Tode), style or ryu
 was never an issue. For years the young Chitose practiced the one kata, Seisan. Only after he reached
the age of fourteen did Arakaki Sensei teach him his second kata.

When young Tsuyoshi Chitose entered high school he had the opportunity of further training with Sensei Anko Itosu (1832-1916).
Itosu was born in Yamagawa Village, Shuri, and was a student of Sokon Matsumura. It is believed Itosu Sensei developed the Chinese
corkscrew punch into its present form, and also originated the Pinan (Heian) kata. In April, 1901, Itosu Sensei introduced karate
training to the Shuri Jinjo Elementary School as part of the physical fitness training. During 1905 he introduced karate training into
the Prefectural Teachers Training College. Three years later, under his guidance, karate training was introduced into all Okinawan
schools.

One of Chitose Sensei's young school friends was Shoshin Nagamine, who would one day found the Matsubayashi Shorin-ryu style
of karate, and become president of the Okinawan Karate Federation. One of their school teachers, later recognized as the greatest
karate master of the twentieth century, was Gichin Funakoshi (1868-1957), the father of modern karate and founder of Shotokan.
Another of Chitose Sensei's classmates was Funakoshi Sensei's son, Gikko (Yoshitaka) Funakoshi.

Other kata taught to Doctor Chitose were: Shihohai, Niseishi and Sanchin from Arakaki Sensei; Chinto, Bassai, and Kusanku from
Chotoku Kiyan Sensei (1870-1945); Ryusan from Chiyomu Hanagusuku; and Rohai from Kauryo Higashionna (1851-1915). Also
training there at this time with Higashionna Sensei were Mr. Chojun (Miyagi) Miyagusuku (1888-1953) founder of Goju Ryu karate
and Mr. Kenwa Mabuni (1888-1953) the founder of Shito-ryu karate.

From 1922-1932 Chitose Sensei went to college, practiced karate in his spare time,and assisted his old school teacher Gichin
Funakoshi with his college karate classes. In 1931 Chitose Sensei assisted a new student at the Takushoku University karate club.
His name was Masatoshi Nakayama (1913-1986), who would one day be the head instructor of the Japan Karate Association
(Shotokan). During this time Dr. Chitose also established his medical practice. During the war he served in the Army Medical Corps
and spent some time in China. While serving in a small village in China Dr. Chitose befriended the local citizens. As a result of his
assistance to the local population, he came into contact and was trained by an old Chinese Gung-fu teacher.

In 1936 O-Sensei was present at a meeting of Okinawan karate authorities in Naha, Okinawa. This was the meeting in which the
translation "Empty Hand Way" was actually adopted for Karate-do in place of the original todejutsu or "Chinese Hand Method".

In March 1946 Doctor Chitose opened a small karate dojo Yoseikan (training hall) in Machi, Kirkuchi-Gun, Kumamoto Prefecture
(presently called Kirkuchi City). He later held an Okinawan Kobudo Taikai (Tournament) at the Kubukiza in Kumamoto City to help
raise relief funds for Okinawa. In 1948, O-Sensei organized the All Japan Karate-do Federation (Zen Nihon Karate-do Renmei) along
with Gichin Funakoshi, Mabuni, Higa Seko, and Toyama Kanken and served as president for some time. It was around this time that
O-Sensei named his style Chito-ryu. Although it may seem obvious that "Chito" is a derivation of Chitose, this in fact is not the case.
"Chi" is derived from "thousand" and "to" is from the Chinese "Tang", hence the translation of Chito-ryu is "The thousand year old
Chinese (Tang dynasty) way", signifying the ultimate origin of Karate as being from China during the Tang era roughly one thousand
years ago.
At this time the practice of most martial arts (kendo, judo and others associated with the nation of Japan) had been forbidden by the
allied powers under the command of General Douglas MacArthur. Karate was considered an Okinawan art form and was not subject
to the close scrutiny given to Kendo and Judo. Nevertheless, Doctor Chitose and other martial arts teachers were very secretive in
the teaching of their respective arts. Much of the martial arts training was camouflaged as physical fitness exercises and dances. In
most instances the occupying powers just looked the other way. This was the existing political climate when Masami Tsuruoka
received his first degree black belt in karate from Doctor Tsuyoshi Chitose. The year was 1949.

Masatoshi Nakayama (中山 正敏) Father of modern sports karate

Nakayama Masatoshi April 13, 1913 – April 15, 1987) was an
internationally-renowned Japanese master of Shotokan karate. He
helped establish the Japan Karate Association (JKA) in 1949, and
wrote many textbooks on karate, which served to popularize his martial
art. For almost 40 years, until his death in 1987, Nakayama worked to
spread Shotokan karate around the world. He was the first master in
Shotokan history to attain the rank of 9th dan while alive, and was
posthumously awarded the rank of 10th danNakayama was born on
April 13, 1913, in the Yamaguchi prefecture of Japan. He was
descended from the Sanada clan, who were known as kenjutsu
instructors, from the Nagano region. Nakayama's grandfather was
Naomichi Nakayama, a surgeon in Tokyo, who had also been the last
of the family to teach kenjutsu. Nakayama's father was Naomichi
Nakayama, an army physician and a judoka (practitioner of judo). His
father was assigned to Taipei, so Nakayama spent some of his
formative years there. Apart from his academic studies, he participated
in kendo, skiing, swimming, tennis, and track running
Nakayama entered Takushoku University in 1932 to study Chinese language, and began
learning karate under Gichin Funakoshi and his son Yoshitaka (also known as Gigō). He had
originally planned to train in kendo, but misread the schedule and arrived at karate training
instead—and, interested by what he saw, ended up joining that martial art group. Nakayama
graduated from Takushoku University in 1937. That same year, he travelled to China as an
interpreter during the Japanese occupation of China. By the time World War II began,
Nakayama had attained the rank of 2nd dan. Nakayama returned to Japan in May 1946, after
the war

In May 1949, Nakayama, Isao Obata, and other colleagues helped establish the Japan Karate
Association (JKA). Funakoshi was the formal head of the organization, with Nakayama
appointed as Chief Instructor. By 1951, Nakayama had been promoted to 3rd dan, and he held
the rank of 5th dan by 1955. In 1956, working with Teruyuki Okazaki, he restructured the
Shotokan karate training program to follow both traditional karate and methods developed in
modern sports sciences. In 1961, Nakayama was promoted to 8th dan—a remarkable
progression, in part made possible by the consensus-based system of higher dan promotion in
Japan at the time, according to Pat Zalewski. Nakayama established kata (patterns) and kumite
(sparring) as tournament disciplines. Students of the large JKA dojo (training halls)
subsequently achieved an unmatched series of tournament successes in the 1950s and 1960s.

Nakayama is widely known for having worked to spread Shotokan karate throughout the world.
Together with Funakoshi and other senior instructors, he formed the JKA instructor trainee
program. Many of this program's graduates were sent throughout the world to form new
Shotokan subgroups and increase membership. Nakayama also held positions in the Physical
Education department of Takushoku University, beginning in 1952, and eventually becoming
head of that department. He also headed the ski team at the university.

In 1972, Nakayama, with some help from one of his students, Hirokazu Kanazawa, set up a
personal dojo in the basement of his apartment building, naming it "Hoitsugan." This dojo is
located in Ebisu, Tokyo, a short distance from where the JKA honbu (headquarters) dojo was
located. Karate students from outside Japan lived in the dormitory rooms and trained in this
dojo from the early 1970s.

After rapid promotion through the ranks in the 1950s, Nakayama still held the rank of 8th dan in
1974. He was promoted to 9th dan in the 1980s, becoming the first Shotokan master to be
awarded this rank while still living. Nakayama continued teaching Shotokan karate until his
death on April 15, 1987, in Tokyo, Japan
 All sources agree that Nakayama was born in April 1913 and died in April 1987. Most state that
he was born on April 13 and died on April 15, but some give his birth date as April 6 or April 15,
and some give his death date as April 14.

Reference :Wikipedia

NIHON KARATE DO HAKUA-KAI MATSUBUSHI DOJO

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NAHA-TE
Naha-te (那覇手Okinawan: Naafa-dii) is a pre-World War II term for a type of martial art indigenous to the area around Naha, the
old commercial city of the Ryūkyū Kingdom and now the capital city of the island of Okinawa.

Well into the 20th century, the martial arts of Okinawa were generally referred to as te, which is Japanese for "hand". Te often
varied from one town to another, so to distinguish among the various types of te, the word was often prefaced with its area of
origin; for example, Naha-te, Shuri-te, or Tomari-te.

Naha-te was primarily based on the Fujian White Crane systems of Southern China, which trickled into Okinawa in the early
19th century through Kumemura (Kuninda), the Chinese suburb of Naha, and continued developing and evolving until being
finally formalized by Higaonna Kanryō in the 1880s.

In the first few decades of the 20th century, a number of formal organizations were founded to oversee Okinawan martial arts,
and due to their influence, the word karate came to be widely accepted as a generic term for all sorts of Okinawan unarmed
martial arts. With the popularity of the term karate, the practice of naming a type of martial art after its area of origin declined.
The term Naha-te is no longer in general use.
Naha-Te is the name of the particular type of Okinawan martial art that developed in the port town of Naha, the modern day
capital of Okinawa. The martial art that indigenously developed in Okinawa was called Te ("Hands"), and the continuous
Chinese influences that incorporated Chinese Boxing (Chuan-Fa,
nowadays known as Chinese boxing) were eventually reflected by naming the Okinawan martial arts Tang-ti "Chinese Hand".

Credited for the early development of Naha-Te is Kanryo Higaonna (1853-1915). Kanryo Higaonna students include Chojun
Miyagi (1888-1953), the founder of Goju-ryu. Taken from the Bubishi meaning hard and soft and Kenwa Mabuni (1889-1952),
the founder of Shito-ryu. Shito-ryu truly has no translation, but
the first two ideograms from his teacher Itosu=糸, SHI and Higaonna = 東 ,TO, (糸東流). The founder of Goju-ryu was Chojun
Miyagi (1888-1953).
He became a disciple of Kanryo Higaonna (1853-1915), the founder of the Naha-te style, when he was 14. He endured harsh
ascetic practices and in 1915
went to Fujian Province in China to perfect his skills in the martial arts. He also undertook a lot of research on noted Chinese
warriors. As a result, he was
able to take over and organize karate techniques and the principles of the martial arts that he had been taught. He
consolidated modern karate do, incorporating effective elements of both athletics and the martial arts in addition to the
principles of reason and science.

Chojun Miyagi's most promising disciple, Jinan Shinzato, gave a demonstration at the 'All Japan Martial Arts Tournament
Offering Congratulations on the Emperor's Accession' held in Meiji Jingu Shrine in 1929. Afterwards he was asked what school
of karate he belonged to. When he returned home, he told master Miyagi about this and Miyagi decided to choose the name
Goju-ryu (the hard-soft style), inspired by one of the 'Eight Precepts' of Kempo, written in the Bubishi, and meaning 'The way
embraces both hard and soft, both inhalation and exhalation. The main characteristic of Goju-ryu is the 'respiration method'
accompanied by vocal exclamations, emphasizing 'inhaling and exhaling' and 'bringing force in and sending force out'.

The Kata of Goju-ryu are broadly divided into: Sanchin (basics), Kaishu-gata (open hand forms), and Heishu-gata (closed hand
forms). The traditional Kata passed down from Kanryo Higaonna to the present include: Sanchin, Saifa, Seienchin, Shisochin,
Sanseiru, Seipai, Kururunfa, Seisan, and Suparinpei (or Pecchurin). In addition to such traditional Kata, Goju-ryu has added
Kokumin Fukyugata, a series of Kata created by Chojun Miyagi for the nationwide popularization of the school Gekisai I,
Gekisai II and Tensho-which complete the Kata of Goju-ryu for Tanren.

Important Okinawan masters of Naha-te:Kogusuku Isei,Maezato Ranhō , Arakaki Seishō , Higaonna Kanryō , Miyagi Chō jun, Nakamiya Kenri, Kyoda
Jū hatsu, Mabuni Kenwa, Gogen Yamaguchi

Important katas:Sanchin, Saifā, Seienchin, Shisōchin, Seipai, Seisan

The successor styles to Naha-te include Gōjū-ryū, Tōon-ryū (developed by the students of Higaonna Kanryō), Kogusuku-ryū,
and others.

Ryū Ryū Ko (ルールーコウ)

Ryū Ryū Ko (ルールーコウ Rū Rū Kou1852 - 1930), also known as Ryuko, Ryuru Ko, Liu Liu Gung, Liu Liu Ko, To Ru Ko, was a
teacher of Fujian White Crane, notable for instructing many of the founders of Okinawan martial arts which later produced
Karate. The kata Sanchin, taught in Gōjū-ryū and most other styles of Karate, was originally taught by Ryū Ryū Ko.

Although Ryū Ryū Ko is mostly known from the accounts of his Okinawan students, he is generally identified, based on the
research of Tokashiki Iken, as Xie Zhongxiang, born in Changle, Fujian, to a noble family which lost its status in political turmoil
of the time. He was one of the first generation masters of Míng hè quán ( 鳴鶴拳, Whooping Crane Fist), which he either learned
from his teacher Kwan Pang Yuiba (who was a student of Fāng Qīniáng, the originator of the first White Crane martial art), or
created himself, based on more general White Crane style of his teacher. He had to conceal his name and aristocratic lineage
and took on the name Ryu Ryu Ko, under which he worked, making household goods from bamboo and cane. He has been
teaching martial arts at his home to a very small group of students, which included Higaonna Kanryō, who stayed with Ryu Ryu
Ko from 1867 to 1881. Ryu Ryu Ko expanded his class to an actual public school in 1883, running it with his assistant, Wai
Shinzan (Wai Xinxian). It is also said that he had a son named Xie Tsuxiang,Ryu Ryu Ko's currently living direct descendant is
his great-grandson, Xie Wenliang.

Some historians do not agree with Xie Zhongxiang identification, it's been suggested that Ryu Ryu Ko taught other styles of
southern Chinese martial arts, or even that Ryu Ryu Ko was the name of the place, rather than a person.

The okinawan martial artists who are believed to have studied in Ryu Ryu Ko's school were Higaonna Kanryō (founder of
Naha-te), Arakaki Seishō, Norisato Nakaima (1850-1927) (founder of Ryūei-ryū), Sakiyama Kitoku (1830-1914), Kojo Taitei
(1837-1915), Maezato Ranpo (1838-1904), Matsuda Tokusaburo (1877-1931).

Arakaki Seishō (新垣 世璋)

Arakaki Seishō (1840 – 1918) (Arakaki Ou, Mayā Arakaki, Arakaki Kamadeunchu, Aragaki Tsuji Pechin
Seisho) was a prominent Okinawan martial arts master who influenced the development of several major
karate styles. He was known by many other names, including Aragaki Tsuji Pechin Seisho.

Arakaki was born in 1840 in either Kumemura village, Okinawa, or on the nearby island of Sesoku. He was
an official in the royal court of Okinawa, and as such held the title of Chikudon Peichin, which denoted a
status similar to that of the samurai in Japan.
On 24 March 1867, he demonstrated Okinawan martial arts in Shuri City, then capital of the Ryūkyū
Kingdom, before a visiting Chinese ambassador; this was a notable event, since experts such as Asato
Ankō, Itosu Ankō, and Matsumura Sōkon were still active at that time.
Arakaki served as a Chinese language interpreter, and travelled to Beijing in September 1870. His only recorded martial arts
instructor from this period was Wai Xinxian from Fuzhou, a city in the Fujian province of Qing Dynasty China. Arakaki died in
1918.

Arakaki was famous for teaching the kata (patterns) Unshu, Seisan, Shihohai, Niseishi, and Sanchin (which were later
incorporated into different styles of karate), and weapons kata Arakaki-no-kun, Arakaki-no-sai, and Sesoku-no-kun.

While he did not develop any specific styles himself, his techniques and kata are scattered through a number of modern karate
and kobudo styles.
Arakaki's students included Higaonna Kanryō (1853–1916; founder of Naha-te), Funakoshi Gichin (1868–1957; founder of
Shotokan), Uechi Kanbun
(1877–1948; founder of Uechi-ryū), Kanken Tōyama (1888–1966; founder of Shūdōkan), Mabuni Kenwa (1889–1952; founder
of Shitō-ryū), and
Chitose Tsuyoshi (1898–1984; founder of Chitō-ryū)Some consider Chitō-ryū the closest existing style to Arakaki's martial arts,
while others have noted that Arakaki's descendants are mostly involved with Gōjū-ryū.

Higaonna (Higashionna) Kanryo (東恩納 寛量)

Higaonna (Higashionna) Kanryo (Higaonna Kanryō March 10, 1853 - December 1916), also known
as "Higashionna West", was a native of Nishi-shin-machi, Naha, Okinawa. He was born in
Nishimura, Naha to a merchant family, whose business was selling firewood, an expensive
commodity in the Ryukyu Islands. He founded the fighting style later to be known as Gōjū ryū
karate

The characters of his family name are pronounced "Higaonna" in Okinawan, and "Higashionna" in
Japanese. In Western articles the two spellings are often used interchangeably. He had an older
relative, 5 years older, called Higaonna Kanryu who lived in Higashimura and was known as
"Higashionna East"

In 1867 he began to study Monk Fist Boxing (Luohan Quan) from Aragaki Tsuji Pechin Seisho who
was a fluent Chinese speaker and interpreter for the Ryukyu court At that time the word karate was
not in common use, and the martial arts were often referred to simply as Te ("hand"), sometimes
prefaced by the area of origin, as Naha-te, Shuri-te, or simply Okinawa-te
.In September 1870, Higaonna was petitioned to go to Beijing as a translator for Okinawan officials. In March 1873 he sailed to
Fuzhou in the Fukien province of China.

Aragaki had given Higaonna an introduction to the martial arts master Kojo Taitei whose dojo was in Fuzhou. Higaonna spent
his time studying with various teachers of the Chinese martial arts, the first four years he probably studied with Wai Xinxian,
Kojo Tatai and or Iwah at the Kojo Dojo. Kanryo then trained under Ru Ru Ko (a.k.a. Ruru Ko, Ryu Ryu Ko, To Ru Ko, or Lu Lu
Ko, his name was never recorded as Kanryo Higaonna was illiterate. His real name was probably Xie Zhongxiang founder of
Whooping Crane gongfu). According to oral account Kanryo spent years doing household chores for master Ru Ru Ko, until he
saved his daughter from drowning during a heavy flood and begged the master to teach Kung-fu as a reward.
In the 1880s Kanryo returned to Okinawa and continued the family business. He also began to teach the martial arts in and
around Naha. His style was distinguished by its integration of both go-no (hard) and ju-no (soft) techniques in one system. He
became so prominent that the name "Naha-te" became identified with Higaonna Kanryo's system.

Kanryo was noted for his powerful Sanchin kata, or form. Students reported that the wooden floor would be hot from the
gripping of his feet.

Several of Kanryo's students went on to become influential masters of what came to be called karate, amongst them Chōjun
Miyagi, Kenwa Mabuni, Kyoda Shigehatsu, Koki Shiroma, Higa Seiko, and Shiroma Shinpan (Gusukuma)

Chōjun Miyagi (宮城 長順)

Chōjun Miyagi (Miyagi Chōjun April 25, 1888—October 8, 1953) was an Okinawan martial artist
who founded the Goju-ryu school of karate

Miyagi was born in Higashimachi, Naha, Okinawa on April 25, 1888, the adopted son of a wealthy
businessman. He began his study in Karate-do at the age of nine (or fourteen). He first learned
martial arts from Ryuko Aragaki, who then introduced him to Kanryo Higashionna when Miyagi was
14. Under his tutelage, Miyagi underwent a very long and arduous period of training. His training
with Higaonna was interrupted for a two-year period while Miyagi completed his military service,
1910-1912, in Miyakonojo, Miyazaki Ken.

In 1915, after the death of Kanryo Higashionna, Miyagi travelled to Fujian Province. In China he
studied the Shaolin
and Pa Kua(Ba gua) forms of Chinese boxing. From the blending of these systems, the hard
linear/external form of
Shaolin, the soft circular/internal form of Pa Kua, and his native Naha-Te, a new system emerged.
However, it was
not until 1929 that Chojun Miyagi named the system Goju-ryu, meaning "hard soft style".
After some years in China, Chōjun Miyagi returned to Naha where he opened a dojo (training hall). He taught for many years,
gaining an enormous reputation as a karateka. Despite his reputation, his greatest achievements lie in popularization and the
organization of karate teaching methods. He introduced karate into Okinawa police work, high schools and other fields of
society. He revised and further developed Sanchin - the hard aspect of Goju, and created Tensho - the soft aspect. These kata
are considered to contain the essence of the Goju-ryu. The highest kata, Suparinpei is said to contain the full syllabus of Goju-
ryu. Shisochin was Miyagi's favorite kata at the end of his years. Tensho was influenced by the White Crane kata Ryokushu,
which he learned from his long-time friend Gokenki. With the goal of unification of various karate styles which was in fashion at
that time (see Gichin Funakoshi for his works in Japan), he also created more Shurite-like katas Gekisai Dai Ichi and Gekisai
Dai Ni in 1940, taking techniques from higher forms (notably Suparinpei, and upper blocks uncommon for Goju-ryu at that time)
and incorporating them into a shorter forms. It is said he created these kata to bridge the gap between Sanchin and Saifa,
which contains much more complex moves compared to Sanchin. However, Gekisai katas are learned before Sanchin now.

Miyagi died in Okinawa on October 8, 1953 from a second heart-attack (the first had occurred in 1951).

Some of Miyagi's more notable students were: Seko Higa (his oldest student and also a student of Kanryo Higaonna), Miyazato
Ei'ichi (founder of the Jundokan dojo), Meitoku Yagi (founder of the Meibukan dojo, who eventually accepted Miyagi's gi and
obi from Miyagi's family), Seikichi Toguchi (founder of Shorei-kan Goju-ryu), and on the Japanese mainland Gōgen Yamaguchi
who was the founder of the International Karate do Goju Kai Association and who after training with Miyagi, became the
representative of Gōjū-ryū in Japan. At a later date Gōgen Yamaguchi invested much time studying Kata under Meitoku
Yagi.He also trained other students who went on to create their own styles, such as Shimabuku Tatsuo (Isshinryu).

"Let me first say that I was not named the successor of goju-ryu by Miyagi, but nor was anyone else. There are some goju-ryu
teachers who claim to have been privately appointed successor by Miyagi. These claims are ludicrous and disrespectful of his
memory. He never publicly named anyone as successor. Common sense would dictate that if he were to appoint someone, it
would have been a longtime student and it would have to be of public record to have any value. Miyagi was not a man to do
things in a haphazard manner - everything was very deliberate and precise.

It would also be logical to assume that since Miyagi would not grant dan ranking, how then would he be inclined to name a
successor? I feel Miyagi would be rolling in his grave with the plethora of ridiculous claims about this matter." - Seikichi Toguchi

Nakaima Norisato(Nakaima Kenri)

Ryuei-ryu (劉衛流 Ryūei-ryū) is an Okinawan style of karate. It was originally a family style of the Nakaima family of Naha and is
now one of the internationally recognized Okinawan karate styles. It is practiced in the United States, Argentina, Venezuela,
Europe, and Okinawa

The originator of the Ryueiryu method was the Okinawan Nakaima Norisato (also known as Kenri). Born December, 1819 into
a considerably wealthy family (by the Okinawan standards of the time). He developed a passion for the martial arts at a young
age, and was known throughout the village of Kumemura (Kume) as a devoted practitioner of the cultural as well as combative
arts.

The area called Kume in Naha was settled by Chinese (often referred to as the "Thirty-six family names") from Fukien
(Fukuken, Fukuken-sho), China about 600 years ago. Being born and brought up in the area under deep influence from China
for a long time, Norisato was very familiar with Chinese cultural ways and could speak and communicate freely in at least one
dialect of the language.

It is known that the last Satsufu-shi (*Chinese ambassadors) were sent to Okinawa in 1866, In 503 years (from 1372 to 1876
when Japan discontinued the relationship with the King Dynasty) about the same number of military officers as ambassadors
were sent to Ryukyu.

Reportedly, when Norisato was 18 years old, he heard that the military officers were practicing martial arts every day and
visited the practice area. Since no formal dojo existed during this period, Norisato, interested in martial arts, was watching the
practice over the fence. Then one of the officers noticed Norisato and the yuchi (general) eventually noticed the potential and
talent of the young Norisato.

With the help of a Chinese military envoy to Okinawa who provided the appropriate letter of introduction and one year of
preparation, Nakaima left his native Okinawa for China to study the martial arts. At the age of nineteen, The tall, well built
Nakaima was accepted as a disciple of the Chinese Master Ru Ru Ko, who at the time was the lead instructor at the Military
Academy in Beijing. Alongside Nakaima was good friend Sakiyama Kitoku, who also left Okinawa to study in China, but
reportedly returned to the island after a comparatively short time and was not admitted to the same training.

Norisato originally intended to learn Chinese Martial Arts as a method of personal protection, he became heavily influenced by
his teacher gradually studying deeply the military subjects required for Chinese military officers. Subjects ranged from complex
military strategies to astrology and holistic healing methods, which are still preserved within the system today.

After seven years of diligent study under the master, Nakaima graduated and was awarded his masters teaching degree at, or
around the age of twenty six. At this time he was given some secret books. As customary in China, his instructor only trusted
his most dedicated pupil with these guarded texts. Contained in these books was a wealth of information on the civil combative
traditions of China. Some of these books* were entitled “Bubishi”, “Hyoronshi”, “Kokutski”, “Kenyushin” and “Yojoho” and are
only recently being discovered and appreciated by many of the older and more advanced practitioners of the fighting arts of
China and Okinawa throughout the world today. Before he returned to his homeland, Nakaima traveled “for training purposes”
throughout the Fukien, Canton and Beijing areas of China. There he saw many unique methods of training and embraced
many teachings. Additionally, he collected many weapons from the various areas he visited and incorporated them into his
personal system of Chinese boxing. Before leaving China, the customary vow of secrecy was taken by Nakaima, who realizing
the tense political climate of the day, never broke this solemn oath
 The system that Nakaima devised and learned was taught only to his son Noritada (Kenchu;1856 -
1953), but only after making a pledge of secrecy to maintain the great tradition to which he now
belonged. Noritada, keeping this oath, only taught his own son Noritaka (Kenko) and grandchildren,
who also took the family oath of secrecy. While Nakaima Noritada (Kenchu) had no other students,
he was regarded as a master of martial arts by all his contemporaries and was respected by all who
knew him.

The young Nakaima Noritaka also developed a keen interest in budo, studying other Karate and
kobudo styles as well as kendo under popular instructors. However, it was Nakaima Noritaka was the
first family member to break the family tradition and at the age of 60, fearing that the family art would
be lost, accepted a small group of outside students. These students were all school teachers, who
Nakaima felt “possessed the necessary character, education and background to continue the
teachings in the proper manner”. Nakaima did much to assist with the development of many of
today’s leaders throughout Okinawa and Japan
According to numerous senior instructors of various styles that were well acquainted with Nakaima Kenko (including Shorinryu
leader Nakazato Shugoro), Nakaima reportedly never taught much Ryueiryu to children apart from his own sons, nor owned a
dojo, although he often shared the training hall of Nakamura Shigeru and others. Nakaima was well respected in his region and
helped with the organization of the Okinawa Kenpo school, and others. A professional educator and of a higher social status
than many of his contemporaries, Nakaima held strong convictions regarding the responsibilities of a martial artist and teacher.
This unique background and uncompromising standard set Nakaima apart from many islanders that sought the development of
martial arts for financial gain in the wake of the Second World War.

Nakaima Kenko was a well respected leader in the Okinawan martial arts community and was a key figure in the growth of
several organized movements of the late 1950’s through the 1960’s. He remained an important figure in the development of
martial arts on Okinawa until his death in 1989. The current leader of the system is Nakaima Kenji, the 5th generation Soke of
the family art and a well accomplished martial arts master in his own right, respected throughout Japan.

Currently, the Nakaima family has disassociated itself from the sport Karate groups and maintains no affiliation, other than
supporting the endeavors of previous students of Nakaima. The teachings of the art of Ryueiryu as practiced by the Nakaima
family adhere to the code of martial virtue contrasting greatly from the competitive mindset. Karate, as practiced in the Nakaima
Family original art is complete physical art form, a wonderful discipline of health as well as a way of life. As such, students of
authentic Ryueiryu believe that a real martial artist trained in the tradition should be modest and never brag about his own
achievements or proficiency, always keeping in mind the example and directions of our predecessors. A martial artist should be
ready to learn from others and strive to learn from every situation in both training and life.

Most written information widely available in the English language about the Ryuei Ryu system is, to a large degree, inaccurate.
There are more kata that are contained in the system, various categories of martial strategy and technique, health and
wellness practices and other methods that make the system an obviously Chinese based martial arts system, as opposed to a
"style" of karate. Adding to the confusion of the published information previously available about the Ryuei Ryu are the writings
and video efforts of former world renowned Karate competitor Tsuguo Sakumoto of Japan, both of which only demonstrate a
variation of the Karate that he personally learned from Kenko Nakaima, re-arranged for modern sports competition.

Today, legitimate Ryuei Ryu remains a relatively unknown combative system of Chinese origin, with a few of the style's more
unique kata being modified for sports competition. This is largely due to the introduction of the art into the sport karate arena
during the mid 1980's by several of the students of Nakaima Kenko.

The following video from Tsuguo Sakumoto Sensei has no mention of several people who claim to be instructors for the Ryuei
Ryu system that are in the US and abroad. Also explains that his Ryuei Ryu is his version, and not the only version.

Kanbun Uechi (上地 完文)

Kanbun Uechi (Uechi Kanbun, May 5, 1877 – November 25, 1948) was the founder of Uechi-ryū,
one of the primary karate styles of Okinawa.

Kanbun grew up in the mountain farming village of Izumi on the Motobu peninsula of Okinawa.
Uechi's family were farmers of daikon radishes.

In his youth, Uechi studied bōjutsu with Motobu experts.

Japan began a program of universal male conscription in Okinawa in the late 1800s. In 1897 at the
age of 19, Kanbun fled to Fuzhou in Fukien Province, China both to escape Japanese military
conscription and to fulfill his dreams of studying martial arts with Chinese masters.Upon arrival in
China, Uechi initially took up the study of Kojo Ryū, but dojo management mocked him for a
speech impediment and the offended Uechi sought training elsewhere.

Kanbun Uechi studied Pangai-noon (half-hard, half-soft) under Shushiwa in the Fujian (a.k.a. Fukien) province of mainland
China in the late 19th century and early 20th century. After studying 10 years under Shushiwa, Kanbun Uechi opened his own
school in the province of Nanjing. Two years later, Kanbun Uechi returned to Okinawa, determined never to teach again
because one of his Chinese students had killed a neighbour with an open-hand technique in a dispute over land irrigation.
While he was working as a janitor he was persuaded by a co-worker, Ryuyu Tomoyose, to teach again after having been first
convinced to show Tomoyose ways of defending himself against different attacks. When his confidence as a teacher was
restored, Uechi, with the help of Ryuyu Tomoyose, moved to Wakayama City, Wakayama Prefecture, where, in 1925, he
established the Institute of Pangainun-ryū (half-hard half-soft) Todi-jutsu, and opened a dojo to the public. Eventually, in 1940,
his Okinawan students renamed the system as "Uechi Ryū".

Kanbun Uechi's son, Kanei Uechi, taught the style at the Futenma City Dojo, Okinawa, and was considered the first Okinawan
to sanction teaching foreigners. One of Kanbun's students, Ryuko Tomoyose, taught a young American serviceman named
George Mattson who authored several books on the subject and is largely responsible for popularizing the style in America.
Uechi Ryū emphasizes toughness of body with quick blows and kicks. Some of the more distinctive weapons of Uechi
practitioners are the one-knuckle punch (shoken), spearhand (nukite), and the toe kick (shomen geri). On account of this
emphasis on simplicity, stability, and a combination of linear and circular movements, proponents claim the style is more
practical for self-defense than most other martial arts.

In contrast to the more linear styles of karate based on Okinawan Shuri-te or Tomari-te, Uechi Ryū's connection with Chinese
Nanpa Shorin-ken means the former shares a similar foundation with Naha-Te (and thus with Goju-ryu) despite their separate
development. Thus, Uechi Ryū is also heavily influenced by the circular motions which belong to the kung fu from Fujian
province. Uechi Ryū is principally based on the movements of 3 animals: the Tiger, the Dragon, and the Crane

Juhatsu Kyoda (許田 重発)

Juhatsu Kyoda (Kyoda Juhatsu December 5, 1887–August 31, 1968) entered the dojo of Higaonna
Kanryō in 1902 and continued studying with him until Kanryō's death in 1915. One month after
Kyoda started, Miyagi Chōjun (co-founder of Gōjū-ryū) entered the dojo. In 1908, Kenwa Mabuni
(founder of Shitō-ryū) also joined the dojo of Higaonna Kanryō.

Tōon-ryū (東恩流 Tōu'on-ryū) is a style of Okinawan Karate founded by Juhatsu Kyoda. In 1934 Kyoda received his Kyoshi
license from the Dai Nippon Butoku Kai.

The Tōon-ryū kata and training drills consist of: Ten-I-Happo, Tsuki-Uke (Shiho-Uke), Kiso I & II, Sanchin, Sesan, Sanseru,
Pechurin, Jion, & Nepai. Apparently Kyoda knew two versions of Seisan: one from Higaonna Kanryō and one from Higaonna
Kanryu, but only passed on the Kanyu version. He learned Jion from Kentsū Yabu. By far Higaonna Kanryō had the most
profound impact on him as Kyoda devoted well over a decade of his life to learning Kanryō’s karate. He ultimately named his
style after him: Tō-on-ryū (literally ‘Higaon[na] style’).

Kyoda's tradition was carried on by Iraha Choko, Kyoda Juko (3rd son), and Kanzaki Shigekazu. The current Sōke of Tōon-ryū
today is Kanzaki Shigekazu, and the chief instructor is Ikeda Shigenori
Sekō (Seiko) Higa (比嘉 世幸)
Sekō (Seiko) Higa (Higa Sekō November 8, 1898–April 16, 1966) was a Gojū Ryū karate teacher who was born in Naha.

At age 13 he began to study under Higaonna Kanryō until Higaonna's death 4 years later. He continued his studies with Miyagi
Chōjun for 38 years until Miyagi's death. Among Higa's students were Choboku Takamine, his son Seikichi Higa (who carried
on his father's dojo in Okinawa), Kanki Izumigawa who spread Goju-Ryu in mainland Japan Kawasaki area, Seiichi Akamine
(creator of the Ken-Shin-Kan, spread Karate-do in South America). Seikichi Toguchi (creator of the Shoreikan), Choyu Kiyuna,
Seitoku Matayoshi, Seiko Fukuchi (1919-1975), Eiki Kurashita, Zensei Gushiken, Izumi and others that carried on the Goju-ryu
Kokusai Karate Kobudo Renmei.

Shinpan Gusukuma (城間 真繁)

Shinpan Gusukuma (Shiroma Shinpan,1890–1954), also known as Shinpan Shiroma by the

Japanese, was an Okinawan martial artist who studied Shōrin-ryū karate as a student of Ankō Itosu.
Gusukuma also trained under Higaonna Kanryō in the Naha-te style. Gusukuma went on to establish
Shitō-ryū with Kenwa Mabuni.Gusukuma Shinpan born in 1890 in the town of Tairain Shuri,Okinawa
At the age of thirteen, he began the study of karate with Anko Itosu, and in 1908 he began training
with Kanryo Higaonna, along with Kenwa Mabuni. In 1909 at the age of eighteen, Shipan was
inducted into the Japanese Navy. He became a school teacher by profession and worked as a
professor in the Shuri Dai Ichi Elementary School where he also taught karate. He was also known
for his skills as an acupuncturistand taught the art.Shinpan began teaching Shorin-ryu shortly after
World War II and was associated with Miyagi Chojun, Kyoda Jyuhatsu and Kyan Chotoku. He taught
regularly at Shuri Castle and had a dojo at his home in Nishihara City.
On Okinawa, there were two branches of Shito-Ryu, one founded by Shinpan Shiroma and the other by Kenwa Mabuni.
Because he continued to maintain schools only in Okinawa, Shinpan created the only known Okinawan branch of Shitō-ryū. He
established an organization called the Shinpan Shiroma Shito-ryu Preservation Society to assist with his teaching and served
as president

Shinpan suffered during the Battle of Okinawa and lost many of his students, but after World War II, he reopened his dojo in
Shuri.Shinpan died in 1954 at the age of 64. He taught class and trained for two hours on the day of his death, ate a light
dinner and went to bed early. Three hours later his wife found that he had died in his sleep. His student Horoku Ishikawa
continued his branch of Shito-ryu.
 Gōgen Yamaguchi (山口剛玄)
Gōgen Yamaguchi (Yamaguchi Gōgen; b.20 January 1909 d.20 May 1989. was a world renown
Grandmaster of Japanese Karate-dō and founder of the International Karate-dō Gōjū-kai
Association; he was one of the most well known of all Karate-dō masters to come out of Japan.
Prior to his death he was decorated by the Emperor of Japan in 1968 with the Ranju-
Houshou,(translation- Blue Ribbon Medal) and the fifth order of merit, for his enormous
contribution to the spread world wide of the Japanese martial arts. For many years Gōgen
Yamaguchi was listed in the Guinness Book of Records regarding his rank and achievements.
According to his obituary, "His name was a household word in Karate circles, and he appeared
in all the major Martial Arts magazines and publications, both in Japan and the western world."

According to his autobiographical work: Karate Gojū-ryū by the Cat Tokyo, Japan (1963),
Gōgen Yamaguchi was born on January 20 in 1909 in Miyakonojō Shonai, Miyazaki Prefecture,
Japan, near Kagoshima City on the island of Kyūshū. In his 5th year of primary school
Yamaguchi commenced his karate-dō training under the guidance of Takeo Maruta, a carpenter
joiner from Okinawa. Maruta was a Gōjū-ryū practitioner.
Gōgen Yamaguchi was named Jitsumi Yamaguchi by his father Tokutarō who was a merchant and later a schoolteacher and
superintendent; his mother was Yoshimatsu. Jitsumi was their 3rd son and there were ten children in this very large Japanese
family.

Gōgen Yamaguchi was also famously known in the world of karate-dō as ‘the Cat’; he was a very small man, just over five feet
and a mere 160 pounds, however he projected the impression of great bulk and an aura reminiscent of the samurai era. He
was first dubbed 'the Cat' by American GI’s for his gliding walk and flowing hair. He alone was primarily responsible for the
spread of Gōjū-ryū throughout the world today whereby hundreds of thousands of practitioners have experienced some form of
training within traditional and non-traditional karate dojo[citation required].

According to Gōgen Yamaguchi himself when interviewed by French magazine Karate journalist Rolland Gaillac, April 1977
edition , he stated: "Even today, young man, if you were to face me in combat, I would be able to determine in a second the
strength of your Ki. Immediately I would know if you were a good opponent. It is this quality, and no other, which has given me
the name of The Cat."

Gōgen then began the serious study of karate-dō with Sensei Takeo Maruta after his family relocated to Kyoto. Maruta was
also a carpenter or joiner by trade and was himself a student of the legendary Chōjun Miyagi of Okinawa. Gōgen Yamaguchi
studied directly with Chōjun Miyagi later in 1929, after he and his then-current teacher and friend Jitsuei Yogi wrote to Chōjun
Miyagi and invited him to come to Japan.

Chōjun Miyagi visited the university dojo of Kansai, Osaka, Ritsumeikan, Kyoto, and Doshisha Universities, whilst Gōgen was
attending Ritsumeikan University in Kyoto. There he studied Law and in 1930 Yogi together with Gōgen Yamaguchi co-founded
the Ritsumeikan daigaku karate kenkyū-kailit. Ritsumeikan University Karate Research Association), the first karate club at
Ritsumeikan University. The Ritsumeikan Karate-dō Kenkyū-kai was the first university karate club in western Japan and was
infamous for its hard style training and fierce karate fighters. Both Yogi and Yamaguchi attended Ritsumeikan University during
the time Chōjun Miyagi visited, and Chōjun Miyagi stayed in Yogi’s apartment.

Chōjun Miyagi later gave Gōgen Yamaguchi the responsibility for spreading Gōjū-ryū in mainland Japan. In the early 1930’s
Gōgen designed what would become the legendary signature Gōjū-ryū fist. It is said to be modeled after the right hand fist of
Chōjun Miyagi.

After graduating from Ritsumeikan University in Kyoto in 1934, that same year Gōgen designed and introduced Jiyū-kumite
which has become known today as sport and tournament fighting kumite.In 1935 he officially formed the All Japan Karate-dō
Gōjū-kai Karate-dō Association (which later split into the JKF Gojukai and the J.K.G.A.) Also in 1935 Gōgen began his travels
with the Japanese government as an intelligence officer and his first son Norimi Gōsei Yamaguchi was born (Gōsei is the
current leader of Gōjū-kai USA).

During his military tour in Manchuria in World War II, Gōgen was captured by the Soviet military in 1942 and incarcerated as a
prisoner of war in a Russian concentration camp; it was here that he battled and defeated a live tiger according to his
autobiography (cited above). Gōgen Yamaguchi was originally targeted for hard labour in the POW camp however he had
impressed even these hard nosed Russians and who discovered who he was and requested that he teach karate-dō to the
Russian soldiers, it was then that, 'the prisoner became the master of the guards, who became his students'.

In 1945, Gōgen returned to Japan where he re-opened his initial karate-dō dojo in Nippori which was later destroyed by fire,
and advertised with a sign outside reading Gōjū-ryū-kai. Many people thought his school was closed forever and that he had
been killed in the war; accordingly Gōgen held large exhibitions in Tokyo which showcased the various Chinese and Japanese
martial arts that he had experienced. His school reopened and moved at a later date to the Suginami-ku area of Tokyo. Here
he quickly expanded throughout a network of independent Gōjū-ryū dojo. The rapid growth and expansion was reinforced by
Gōgen's energetic and forceful persona which resulted in a worldwide network of karate schools which he alone built into a
powerful martial arts empire.

Mention must be made here of Gōgen Yamaguchi's legendary discussion noted in his autobiography regarding his military duty
in Manchuria during World War II, whereby Gōgen was a prisoner of War of the Soviet Army in 1942 and incarcerated at a
Russian concentration camp; it was here that he admitted having battled and defeated a live tiger, after he was locked in a cell
with the beast which his captors expected would devour him. Certainly this admission has created much controversy, however
Russian sources from the time would need to be located in order to verify the extent of the veracity of this event.

Gōgen Yamaguchi established the Gōjū-kai Headquarters in Suginami-ku, Tokyo, Japan, nearby to the busy shopping precinct
of Roppongi. It was also at this time that he registered the name Gōjū-ryū formally with the Butoku-kai, (the official government
body and Headquarters for the Japanese Martial Arts). By 1950 Gōjū-kai Headquarters was officially relocated to the Suginami
Tokyo school which contributed to an almost tripling of membership to 450,000 according to his autobiography. Five years later
he officially chartered the I.K.G.A. Later in 1964, Gōgen Yamaguchi along with other founder members Ōtsuka Hironori from
Wadō-ryū; Nakayama Masatoshi from Shotokan; Mabuni Kenei and Iwata Manzao of Shitō-ryū, unified all the karate dojo in
Japan to form the All Japan Karate-dō Federation which is still in existence today as the Japan Karate Federation (JKF).Gōgen
Yamaguchi's contributions to Gōjū-ryū karate-dō and to karate-dō in general have been enormous. Under his leadership and
guidance the International Karate-dō Gōjū-kai Association (I.K.G.A) has developed and thrived. The organization has increased
in popularity both in Japan and other Asian and Western countries throughout the world. By 2008 there were approximately 60-
70 countries teaching the Gōjū-kai karate-dō principles and training methods. Gōgen Yamaguchi succeeded in unifying all the
karate schools in Japan into a single union which resulted in the formation of The Federation of All Japan Karate-dō
Organization (F.A.J.K.O.) in 1964. The Kokusai Budō Renmei - (The International Martial Arts Federation) in Japan, whose
chairman was Prince Higashikuni of the Japanese Imperial Family appointed Master Yamaguchi as a Shihan - Master of that
organisation's karate-dō division. Yamaguchi added to the Gōjū system the Taikyoku kata forms, - training methods for the
beginner students to prepare them for the more advanced kata.

Gōgen Yamaguchi Kaiso died on the 20th of May 1989. He had been married twice, firstly to Midori (who still lives on the island
of Kyushu), with whom he had four children: Gōsei Norimi Yamaguchi (b.1935), Gōsen Kishio Yamaguchi (1940-1990), Makiko
Yamaguchi, and Gōshi Hirofumi Yamaguchi (b.1942). He and his second wife, Mitsue, had one child, Gōkyōko Wakako
Yamaguchi. All of his children practiced karate-dō and became Masters in their own right. The names commencing with gō
were their karate names. Gōsei Norimi Yamaguchi has his own organisation in the United States and Gōshi Hirofumi
Yamaguchi is the President of the International Karate-dō Gōjū-kai, with branches in 60 countries. Gōsen Kishio Yamaguchi
was the Vice President of Japan Airlines. Kishio, who died in the early 1990s, was deeply involved in the running of the I.K.G.A
whilst his youngest sister Wakako Yamaguchi was an All Japan Kata Champion for a number of years. Makiko Yamaguchi died
from cancer at a relatively young age during the early 1980s
 Seikichi Toguchi
Seikichi Toguchi (b. May 20, 1917 in Naha City, Okinawa, Japan - d. August 31, 1998 in Tokyo)
was the founder of Shorei-kan karate.

As a young boy, Toguchi learned the basic techniques of Okinawan Te from his father. In 1930,
at the age of 15, he began his lifelong study of Gōjū-ryū karate at the dojo of Sekō Higa and
later under Chojun Miyagi as one of his principal students. He studied under Higa for over 33
years and under Miyagi for more than 25 years, making his karate education unique. Toguchi
was fortunate as Miyagi was a personal friend of Toguchi's father and so paid many visits to the
family. At these times the conversation nearly always turned to karate and the discussions
would go on till the early hours of the morning.

Toguchi continued his full-time study of karate until the beginning of World War II, when he was
drafted into the army as an electrical engineer and stationed in Sumatra, Indonesia.

In 1946 he returned to Okinawa to find a devastated people and homeland. Miyagi had lost three children and one of his senior
students, Jinan Shinsato. Higa had lost his wife. Miyagi began teaching at the police academy and Higa moved in with
Toguchi. At this time Higa also played matchmaker and introduced Toguchi to a young girl named Haruko, soon to be his wife.

In 1949, with the help of Toguchi, Higa opened up a new dojo and Toguchi was appointed Shihan. Before his death, Miyagi
passed on all his advanced kata and teachings to Toguchi, one of the more important being kaisai no genri. This teaching
explains how to unlock the hidden techniques of the koryu kata. In 1953, after the death of Miyagi, his senior students formed
the Karate-Do Goju Association with Meitoku Yagi as chairman and Seikichi Toguchi as Vice Chairman.

In 1954 Toguchi opened up the first Shorei-kan dojo (House of politeness and respect) in Koza City, Okinawa. The Shorei-kan
dojo was very close to the American military base (Kadena Air Base) and the Americans showed a great interest in the martial
arts. With an increasing western population in his dojo, Toguchi found it necessary to devise a progressive teaching method to
overcome the language barrier. Expanding on Miyagi's vision, Toguchi further developed a system of progressive kata and
added bunkai and kiso kumite to help explain application of the kata. Many of the early pioneers of Okinawan karate in the US
studied with Toguchi.

In 1956 the Okinawan Karate-Do Federation was formed and Toguchi was installed as a member of the board of directors. By
1960 Toguchi decided to move to mainland Japan to spread the art of karate and Shorei-kan. During the coming years he
would move between Okinawa in the winter and Tokyo in the summer. He first practiced outdoors at the Hikawa Shrine where
he developed the kata Hakitsuru. In 1962 the first Shorei-kan dojo was opened in Tokyo in Meguro Borough and in 1966
Shorei-kan Hombu Dojo Tokyo was built with the help of Tamano Construction (founded by Toshio Tamano's father).

Although there were Shorei-kan students and instructors already in the US, in 1969 Toguchi sent Toshio Tamano to the US as
the representative of Shorei-kan, and in 1972 Tomaki Koyabu was sent to Canada to spread Shorei-kan Karate. Over the
following years Toguchi and his wife Haruko Toguchi traveled numerous times to both Canada and the US. Later on Tamano
moved to Milan, Italy to spread Shorei-kan throughout Europe and Scott Lenzi is now the representative of the U.S. and South
America. The representative of Canada is now Vic Hargitt and Haribabu represents Asia and Vahitha Haribabu represents
India. Haribabu was the last person to receive the shihan title from Toguchi

Meitoku Yagi (八木明徳)

Meitoku Yagi (八木明徳 Yagi Meitoku, March 6, 1912 - February 7, 2003) was born in Naha, Okinawa. Yagi
learned Goju-ryu from its legendary founder Chojun Miyagi.

Yagi's lineage can be traced back to 36 Chinese families that immigrated to Okinawa in 1392. Also, his
family can be linked to Jayana Ueekata, who was highly respected as a budoka in the Ryukyu Islands in
the 17th century. Yagi is the 21st generation from that family.

Yagi began training under Miyagi when he was 14 years old. Miyagi was impressed by his dedication and
hard work, and eventually taught him all the kata in the Goju-ryu syllabus. Normally, Miyagi would only
teach Sanchin to his pupils for several years, and even then he might only teach them Seisan and
Seiunchin
After Miyagi's death in 1953, Yagi opened his own dojo in the Daido district of Naha. He named his school of Goju-ryu
Meibukan, meaning "house of the pure minded warrior." The name and crest of his school both utilise the first kanji in his
name, Mei, which has several meanings, including purity. It is made up of the kanji for sun and the kanji for moon, reflecting the
duality of nature, which is inherent to Goju-ryu. Today, the main headquarters for the Meibukan school are in the Kume district
of Naha.On April 29, 1986, Emperor Hirohito named Yagi a Living National Treasure (ningen kokuho) for his contributions to
the martial arts.To complement his karate training, Yagi enjoyed many activities including shodo, playing the piano and
shamisen, and chinese chess.

Meitoku Yagi began developing a series of kata in the 1970s and 1980s, which he named Meibuken kata. The first of which is
Tenchi, meaning "heaven and earth." It was originally two kata, Fukyu kata ichi and Fukyu kata ni. The two kata can be put
together so that if two karateka were to perform each half an attack in the first kata would correspond with a block in the
second, for example. The Meibuken kata are different from the kata in the Goju-ryu syllabus in many ways, including having
vertical closed hand chambers, and having a different yoi position, reflecting Yagi Sensei's Chinese roots, and his time spent
studying martial arts there.

The other four Meibuken kata represent the four guardians of the cardinal directions in Chinese mythology. As with Ten no kata
and Chi no kata, the other four pair up as well to show the kata’s bunkai. Seiryu (East, Blue Dragon) and Byakko (West, White
Tiger) go together, and Shujakku (South, Red Phoenix) and Genbu (North, Black Tortoise) combine. Though those are the
English names generally used for the kata, Yagi Sensei once said that he never specifically chose colours for the animals.

Yagi has three daughters, Chieko, Chikako and Chizuko; and two sons, Meitatsu and Meitetsu. His sons’ birthdates are unique
in that the day and month of their births are the same–Yagi Meitatsu was born July 7, 1944 and Yagi Meitetsu was born
January 1, 1949. Currently Yagi Meitatsu is the president of the IMGKA (International Meibukan Goju-ryu Karate Association),
and Yagi Meitetsu is the president of the Meibukan hombu dojo. In 1997 Yagi promoted his eldest son, Meitatsu to Hanshi
Judan. Before his death, Yagi also promoted Meitetsu to Hanshi Judan in 2001, but it was only made known publicly
posthumously.

In 2000, Yagi released an autobiography entitled The Life Drama of the Man, Meitoku.Yagi's number one goal was for his
students to promote peace, be good people and contribute to society.In late 2002, he was 91 and still performing
demonstrations of katas. February 7, 2003 at 11:40 am, Dai Sensei Meitoku Yagi died. At the time of his passing he was
considered as the most senior Karateka in the world.

Meitatsu Yagi, born July 7, 1944, is the eldest son of the late Meitoku Yagi. Meitatsu did not read books or watch training
videos to gain his expertise in Karate. He was being tutored directly by the himself. By training under his his father for over fifty
years, he was groomed and trained to carry on the legacy of Meibukan Gojyu-Ryu Karate. One of Yagi’s goals has been to
spread Meibukan Gojyu-Ryu Karate throughout the world. Yagi has lived, worked, initiated new dojos and taught Meibukan in
several places outside of Okinawa and around the world. Yagi lived in the US from 1964 to 1970; in Guam 1971 to 1975; in
Saipan 1995 to 1997 and in the Philippines 1997 to 1998. After returning from Guam in 1975, Yagi was given the title of Renshi
6th Dan and became a Director of All Okinawan Karate-Do Association in 1976. Also in 1976, he was given the teaching
responsibilities at the Hombu Dojo in Okinawa as President of Gojyu-Ryu Meibu-kai with Meitetsu Yagi (his younger brother) as
Vice-President and Meitoku Yagi as Chairman / Consultant.

Meitoku Yagi chose his eldest son Meitatsu to be the first to learn all facets of Meibukan Gojyu-Ryu. He helped develop and
teach all the kata, Renzoku Kumite, Kakomi Kumite, Meibukan Bo, Meibukan Sai, Nihon Kumite, Renzoku form and Kakomi
forms. Although many profess to be Meibukan practitioners, many have not learned or practiced the forms developed by him
for his style. These forms are an integral part of Meibukan Gojyu-Ryu.Meitatsu was also a director of the All Okinawa Karate-
Do Gojyu-Kai for 20 years. He also served a two year term as President of the Okinawan Karate-Do Gojyu-Kai in 1987 as well
as President of the Hombu Dojo in Kume.
In 1995 Meitatsu worked in Saipan and the Philippines returning in 1998 to help care for his father who was ailing at the time.
Meitoku YAGI gave Meitatsu Yagi the title of Hanshi Judan, Okinawa Karate-Do Gojyu-Kai in 1997. Meitoku Yagi]] presented
only one Hanshi Judan]]. Meitatsu Yagi travels the world meeting and teaching hundreds of people each year in seminars in
India, Canada, Israel, Italy, the USA, England and France as well as South America]].Meitatsu has also been very active in
promoting the Okinawa Traditional Karatedo Kobudo International Studying Center in Yomitan Village, Okinawa. He is working
with Kenyu CHINEN of Shorin-Ryu and Yasuo SHIMOJI of Uechi Ryu. All three masters are traditional Okinawan teachers and
are working together to promote Okinawa Traditional Karate-Do and Kobudo in Okinawa and around the world.In 2007, he
published his second book on the history and philosophy of Meibukan gojyu-ryu, entitled, "Importance of Spiritual Karate".

Kenwa Mabuni
Born in Shuri on Okinawa in 1889, Mabuni Sensei was a descendant of the famous Onigusukini
Samurai family. Perhaps because of his weak constitution, he began his instruction in his home
town in the art of Shuri-Te at the age of 13, under the tutelage of the legendary Ankō Itosu (1813-
1915). He trained diligently for several years, learning many kata from this great master. It was Itosu
who first developed the Pinan kata, which were most probably derived from the 'Kusanku' form.

One of his close friends, Sensei Chōjun Miyagi (founder of Gōjū-ryū) introduced Mabuni to another
great of that period, Sensei Higaonna Kanryōand began to learn Naha-Te under him as well. While
both Itosu and Higashionna taught a 'hard-soft' style of Okinawan 'Te', their methods and emphases
were quite distinct: the Itosu syllabus included straight and powerful techniques as exemplified in the
Naifanchi and Bassai kata; the Higashionna syllabus, on the other hand, stressed circular motion
and shorter fighting methods as seen in the popular Seipai and Kururunfa forms. Shitō-ryū focuses
on both hard and soft techniques to this day.Although he remained true to the teachings of these
two great masters, Mabuni sought instruction from a number of other teachers; including Seishō
Aragaki, Tawada Shimboku, Sueyoshi Jino and Wu Xianhui (a Chinese master known as Go-Kenki).
In fact, Mabuni was legendary for his encyclopaedic knowledge of kata and their bunkai
applications.
By the 1920s, he was regarded as the foremost authority on Okinawan kata and their history and was much sought after as a
teacher by his contemporaries. There is even some evidence that his expertise was sought out in China, as well as Okinawa
and mainland Japan. As a police officer, he taught local law enforcement officers and at the behest of his teacher Itosu, began
instruction in the various grammar schools in Shuri and Naha.

Tomari-te (泊手 Okinawan: Tumai-dii) refers to a tradition of martial arts originating from the village of Tomari, Okinawa. Based
on an underground empty-handed fighting style native to Okinawa, Tomari-te arose largely through the influence of Chinese
diplomats and other personages skilled in Quan fa, such as Wang Ji, Anan, and Ason, in the late 17th century. Along with
Naha-te and Shuri-te, Tomari-te belongs to a family of martial arts that were collectively defined as Tode-jutsu or To-de
Tomari-te is not a school or a style, but a tradition where the old Okinawa Tode-jutsu is preserved. In the Shoreijikan
Association, Tomari-te from the Oyadomari family – Nakaema Seikichi (from Nago, Okinawa) has been preserved and recently
it was founded the Zen Minami Hankyo Okinawa Tomarite Koukai to preserve the Nakaema-ha,

The most famous Tomari-te masters were both the chikudon peichin Kosaku Matsumora (1829-1898), Kokan Oyadomari
(1827-1905), Gikei Yamazato (1835-1905), Choki Motobu (1870-1944) and Chotoku Kyan (1870-1945). They were also
disciples of the Chinese Annan (also Ahnan or Anan) and of Ason, a Chinese sergeant. According Tomari-te tradition, Annan
was a castaway from a shipwreck in the Okinawa coast. Being a pirate, he that took refuge in the cemetery of the Tomari's
mountains, starting to live in a cave (a tradition says that this was the master that taught the kata Chinto to Sokon Matsumura).
Matsumora and Oyadomari were also disciples from two local masters, Kishin Teruya (1804-1864) and Giko Uku (1800-1850).
From Teruya they would learn Passai, Rohai, and Wanshu, and with Uku the kata Naifanchi. According Shoshin Nagamine (in
"Tales of Okinawa's Great Masters", Tuttle Pub, Boston, 2000), Teruya was considered by Matsumora as his true master.
Matsumora was also an expert in Jo-jutsu (fight method with a short staff) from Jigen-ryu.
The lineage of the Tomari-te

The masters of the Tomari-te best known in the century XIX was Kosaku Matsumora, Kokan Oyadomari and Gikei Yamazato
or(Giei Yamada).

From these thre great masters from Tomarite, the following masters generation was formed: Nio Sueyoshi (1846-1920), Kinin
Kinjo (1856-1897), Giki Yamazato (1866-1947, son of Gikei), Seikichi Nakaema (1866-1932), Koho Kuba (1870-1942),
Kamado Higa (1871-1930) and Kotatsu Iha (1873-1928). Kosei Nakamoto (1890-1967) was the Koho Kuba successor. From
Kotatsu Iha, were formed the following sucessors: Seiyu Nakasone (1893-1967), Gisei Maeda (1899-1983), Kosei Iha (1891-
1967), Koko Oyadomari (1882-1908), Seijin “One-Eyed” Toguchi (1895-1937), Chojin Kuba (1904-1989), Shoshin Nagamine
(1906-). Seikichi Nakaema sucessor was his brother and from this his son, Moritoshi Nakaema, l Nakaema family is from Nago,
Okinawa.

Oyadomari Kokan karate was preserved by his two sons, Kotsu and Konin, and Seikichi Hokama was disciple of both. The
name of Chotoku Kyan and Motobu Choki are also associated to Tomari-te tradition, as also the name of Shimabukuro Tatsuo.
This later and Soshin Nagamine, have trained also with Motobu. Seyu Nakasone, disciple of Iha, was the master of Tokashiki
Iken (founder of Gohakukai), Nakamoto Seiko, Fukichi Isao and Hokama Tetsuhiro. Tokashiki Iken teaches what he was taught
by Nakasone, the katas Naifanchi I, II, III, Passai, Wankan, Wanshu Dai and Sho, Rohai, Kusanku, Chinto and Rinkan. This
later kata was a creation of Nakasone to be his personal kata (Mario McKenna, personal communication). Although the
Naifanchi series, Passai, Kusanku and Chinto taught by Nakasone be similar to the Oyadomari equivalent katas, the
Nakasone’s Wankan, Wansu and Rohai resembles Goju style and techniques. Nakasone trained with Higa Seiko (they were
friends).

The successor styles to Tomari-te include Motobu-ryū, Matsubayashi-ryu, Shōrinji-ryū, Gohaku-Kai and Matsumora-ryū
Kōtokukai,Nihon
 Kosaku Matsumora (松茂良 興作)

Matsumora Kōsaku (1829 - 1898) (Matsumora Chikudon Peichin Kosaku) was a prominent bushi from
the west side of Tomari village. His family were indirect descendents of the first Sho king. As a boy, he
studied Chinese classics and Confucianism at the Tomari School for young men from families of
position. Matsumora was short in height, but his wide shoulders and massive chest revealed a
muscular body.

Matsumora studied Karatedo from Karyu Uku (Aka Giko Uku) for 3 years, emphasis was on developing
a strong foundation while learning to use his legs for mobility and hips to generate power. Master Uku
taught Matsumora three Kata known in Tomari as Naihanchi.
Matsumora Kosaku Matsumora then studied with Teruya Kishin.He also studiedJigen-ryu. He learned the Katas Passai and
1829-1898 Wanshu from this great master. Master Teruya was so impressed with this young bushi that he invited
Matsumora to continue his training at the family tomb. This was the greatest honour that the young man
could receive, because at this time the study of Karate was still practiced in total secrecy, and very late
a night. Being caught at practice meant certain death.
It was at the family tomb that Teruya revealed bunkai or application training to Matsumora so that he could understand the
deeper meaning of the kata movements and the practical application of the moves.Among Matsumora's students, who went on
to influence new generations through students of their own, were Choki Motobu and Chotoku KyanMatsumora is credited as
the master who taught Chotoku Kyan the kata Chinto (his own version, not to be confused with Sokon Matsumura's version of
the same kata). Another student of Matsumora, Maeda Pechin, is credited with teaching Kyan the kata Wanshu.

When Matsumora was in his early 20's, he successfully defended himself and several townspeople against a Satsuma
swordsman. Matsumora disarmed the swordsman and threw the sword in the river, losing only his little finger in the encounter.
Losing one's sword in battle was, for any samurai, a loss of spirit. However for a samurai of the fierce Satsuma clan to lose his
sword to an Okinawan was an unimaginable disgrace.The official story comes from Nagamine. The event was so insulting to
the hated Japanese overlords that Matsumora became an Okinawan folk hero overnight.

Losing a finger however made Matsumora a marked man. Fortunately, the whole town of Tomari came to his rescue by hiding
his were-abouts from the retaliating government officials. Matsumora went into hiding/seclusion in the Nago area.Matsumora
was also a master of Bo-jutsu, the study of the 6 foot wooden staff, and Jo-jutsu the 4 foot stick, despite his "handicap".

Matsumora Kosaku is well remembered for fighting injustices brought on all Okinawan's by the Meiji Government. He is
credited with saving the Neewagumuchi, an Endowment to the people of Tomari from the scavenging officials.

His relentless battles against injustices during the Japanese take-over earned him the name "Fist Saint".
Kokan Oyadomari (親泊 興寛)

Kokan Oyadomari (1827-1905) was a disciple of the Chinese Annan (also Ahnan or Anan) and of Ason, a Chinese sailor or possibly a
pirate. Annan was a castaway from a shipwreck along the coast of Okinawa, who took refuge in the cemetery of the mountains near Tomari.
There is a legend which indicates that Annan was the master who taught the kata Chinto to Sokon Matsumura.
Oyadomari was also a disciple to two local masters: Kishin Teruya (1804-1864) and Giko Uku (1800-1850). From Teruya, Oyadomari
learned Passai, Rohai, and Wanshu, and from Uku the kata Naifanchi. According Shoshin Nagamine (see "Tales of Okinawa's Great
Masters", Tuttle Pub, Boston, 2000), Teruya was considered by Matsumora as his true master.

Choki Motobu
Choki Motobu was born in 1871 in Akahira village in the Shuri region of Okinawa. He was the
third son of Motobu "Udun", a high ranking aji or lord. The Motobu family were skilled at the art
of Ti (a grappling art of the Okinawan nobility). Motobu did learn some of the techniques of his
family's fighting system, but because of Okinawan tradition, only the first son, Choyu, was
educated and choose to carry on the family's martial tradition.

Because of this situation, he went looking for instruction elsewhere. Choki began training
extensively with makiwara and lifted heavy rocks to gain strength. He endeavored to become as
strong as possible and trained with ferocity. He became known as "Motobu zaru" or Motobu the
monkey because of his agility and speed.

Eventually, Motobu became the student of Anko Itosu (one of Mabuni's sensei). Now a young
man, Choki spent a lot of time seeking out strong looking men to challenge on the street. He
won most of his fights and learned much from these encounters. Itosu sensei was not
impressed by the young man's bullying and promptly expelled him form the dojo.

Motobu's aggressive behavior soon earned him a bad reputation and many sensei would not
teach him. Once man, however, liked the spirit he showed and accepeted him as a student of
karate. This man was Kosaku Matsumura of Tomari. It was from Matsumura that Choki learned
many Kata. Motobu still challenged others to fights often and was eager to develop and improve
his fighting skills.
He eventually asked Matsumura to teach him kumite, but Matsumura told him to continue to learn on his own. Motobu,
however, was persevering and is said to have watched the kumite training through holes in the fence around Matsumura's
dojo.Motobu's street fighting served him well (to the detriment of many). He formulated his own formidable style of kumite and
began to get much attention in Okinawa and in Japan on his trips to the islands. One day while in Kyoto he witnessed a contest
where people were asked to match skills with a foreign boxer. A friend coaxed Motobu to give it a try.
 The boxer was arrogant and goaded Motobu constantly. For two rounds Motobu just avoided the boxer's attacks. In the third
round he had enough. He used a practiced technique and promptly knocked the boxer out. The crowd was quite taken aback.
They had never seen this kind of fighting. Motobu had simply struck his opponent with a fore knuckle in the temple; a basic
technique. Needless to say, Motobu quickly gained a reputation as a master and many curious people came to learn this
mysterious new art. Soon, Motobu became a full time teacher.

During this time, Motobu gained great respect for his fighting ability. He was hailed as the greatest fighter in Japan. Many
sensei advised their students to go and train with Motobu and learn his kumite techniques ( for obvious reasons). He was also
asked to teach at several universities. Because of this, many of today's great instructors of various styles had the benefit of his
instruction, so it is clear that his was a large influence in karate.

Motobu usually only taught naihanchi kata to his students and it was his own version with many Ti-like grappling and throwing
techniques. However, it was his kumite that had the greatest impact on karate. Oddly enough, there is a story of Choki, full of
confidence, challenging his brother Choyu to a fight. It is said that Choyu threw Choki around like a rag doll. After the
experience, Choki is said to have humbled himself and adopted more of his family's Ti forms.

Later in life, Motobu seemed to stress the importance of tradition in training. He strongly stressed the importance of makiwara
training and became as enthusiastic about kata as he had always been about kumite. In 1936, at the age of 65, Motobu left
Tokyo and went back to Okinawa to visit his instructors to talk about the state of karate in Japan and to make sure that he was
teaching the kata and techniques in their originally, unaltered form. Subsequently, he returned and continued teaching in
Tokyo.

Shortly before World War II, he returned to Okinawa and died in September of 1944 of a stomach disease at the age of 73. It
is obvious that Choki Motobu was very instrumental in the development of karate and that he was the inspiration for many who
trained in the art. It is good to see that, today, millions of people still keep the art alive and strive to keep the fighting spirit of
karate which Sensei Motobu so dearly loved.
 Chotoku Kyan
Chotoku Kyan was born in Shuri, Okinawa in December 1870 and was the first son of Chofu Kyan.
Chofu Kyan had been a descendant of the fourth Ryukyuan king, Shoshi. Kyan (also sometimes
pronounced Kiyuabu) was born a frail child, but through his martial arts training he developed into a
strong adult and his health improved much. He had begun his training in karate-do at the age of five
years old.

Kyan was known in Okinawa as 'Chan mig-wa' or 'small-eyed Kyan', and was known by this
nickname because his eyes were small and weak. Despite this handicap, he went on to become a
great master. In fact, he was one of the most knowledgeable masters of his time, as he studied
both the Shuri-te and the Tomari-te styles of karate.

He studied Shuri-te from Sokon Matsumura and Anko Itosu and studied Tomari-te from Oyadomari
Pechin, Maeda Pechin and Kosaku Matsumora. Kyan's teaching combined the elements of both of
these styles of karate, with his students originally calling his system 'migwa-te', but later it became
known as 'Sukunaihayashi-ryu'.

Kyan enjoyed traveling a good deal. During his martial arts career he journeyed to Taiwan, where
he brought back the kata Ananku to Okinawa. He also visited one of Okinawa's off-lying islands and
learned Tokumine no Kun (bo kata) there. Tokumine Pechin had been a lord in Okinawan, but had
been banished to the Yaeyama Islands after having being involved in a fight with 30 constables in
the red-light district.
Chotoku Kyan lived in Shuri until he was about thirty years old and then he moved to Kadena, where he opened his own dojo.
He lived in the village of Yomitan, where a karate man called Yara taught him the Kusanku kata. In addition to Kusanku kata
(which became his favorite), he learned other kata; from Sokon Matsumura he learned Naihanchi and Gojushiho, from Kosaku
Matsumura he learned Seisan, Oyadomari taught him Passai and Maeda Pechin taught him Wanshu. Kyan later developed his
own versions of the katas Chinto and Passai, and he even learned tree fighting which is linked to the Okinawan monkey dance
'saru mari'.

Because of his reputation, Kyan was often challenged. It is alleged that he fought many actual fights but was never defeated.
Kyan was highly adept at body shifting. Since he was a small man, he used this type of body movement (known as tai sabaki)
to defeat his opponent. His technique was to never back up, but rather to move forward rapidly and strike, or block and counter
attack immediately.
Two of Chotoku Kyan's top students were Ankichi Arakaki and Shimabuku and it is said that they accompanied their teacher
almost everywhere and were inseparable from him. Kyan enjoyed rooster fighting very much, in fact he often entered his own
roosters in these fights.

One anecdote reveals something of Kyan's abilities as a martial artist, by telling that on this particular occasion he attended
one of these rooster fights and had his own rooster in a firm grip under his arm. His students, Arakaki and Shimabuku, decided
to test their masters skill and started a fight with a couple of the local men. Once the fight got started they left and hide in some
nearby bushes. When Kyan came over to see what was happening, and to see where Arakaki and Shimabuku were, the
enraged men attacked him. Kyan is said to have fought with the men and defeated them all. What was so unique about this
occasion was that during the entire fight, Kyan had kept a firm hold on his rooster - he fought them all with only one hand and
his feet. Arakaki and Shimabuku watched the whole fight from their hiding place and were amazed by his skill and composure.

Kyan felt strongly about the ancient code of Bushido and felt that every martial artist should follow it totally. He was both a
perfectionist and a disciplinarian, in both his own training and also his teaching. He believed that self-discipline and social order
and justice went hand in hand.

He was also quoted as saying "superior conditioning can only be built on relentless effort. The size of one's body is irrelevant".

Master Chotoku Kyan died Ishikawa City, Okinawa, on 20th September 1945 - he was 76 years old.

Hironori Ōtsuka (大塚 博紀)

Hironori Ōtsuka(大塚 博紀 Ōtsuka Hironori, June 1, 1892 – January 29, 1982)was a Japanese master of
karate who created the Wadō-ryū style of karate.He was the first Grand Master of Wadō-ryū karate, and
received high awards within Japan for his contributions to karate.
Ōtsuka was born on June 1, 1892, in Shimodate City, Ibaraki, Japan.He was one of four children to Tokujiro
Ōtsuka, a medical doctor.At the age of 5 years, he began training in the martial art of jujutsu under his
great-uncle, Chojiro Ebashi (a samurai).Ōtsuka's father took over his martial arts education in 1897.At the
age of 13, Ōtsuka became the student of Shinzaburo Nakayama in Shindō Yōshin-ryū jujutsu.

On June 1, 1921, Ōtsuka received the menkyo kaiden (certificate of mastery and license to teach) in Shindō Yōshin-ryū jujutsu,
and became the fourth master of that school.Jujutsu was not to become his primary art, however; in 1922, Ōtsuka began
training in Shotoka karate under Gichin Funakoshi who was a new arrival in Japan.In 1927, he also established a medical
practice and specialized in treating martial arts training injuries.
By 1928, Ōtsuka was an assistant instructor in Funakoshi's school. He also trained under Chōki Motobu and Kenwa Mabuni,
and studied kobudo, around this time.Ōtsuka began to have philosophical disagreements with Funakoshi,and the two men
parted ways in the early 1930s.This may have come, in part, from his decision to train with Motobu. Funakoshi's karate
emphasized kata, a series of movements and techniques linked by the fighting principles. Funakoshi did not believe that
sparring was necessary for realistic training. Motobu, however, emphasized the necessity of free application, and created a
series of two-person kumite called yakusoku kumite.

Ankichi Arakaki
The first of 11 children, Ankichi Arakaki was born in November 1899, in Akata Village, Shuri. His
family were sake (rice wine) brewers and, as such, enjoyed a comfortable lifestyle and eventually
moved to Tori-hori Village.

Sensei Arakaki commenced his karate training at an early age, learning from Shinpan Gusukuma
(his primary school teacher) and also Chomo Hanashiro (his junior high school teacher), before
leaving school and intensifying his training under Chosin Chibana (founder of Kobayashi Shorin-
ryu).

It was because of the wealth that his family enjoyed that Arakaki was able to devote a great deal of
time to his training, and soon became very proficient, earning the nickname of 'Uwayaguwa Ankichi'
(Ankichi of Uwayaguwa). His specialty was the development of the toe kick or tsumasaki-geri.

One story tells of the devastating effect of Arakaki's toe kick:

Once, when Sensei was around twenty years old, he and some friends were in a tea house in Tsuji drinking and having a good
time. While getting up to go to the toilet, he accidentally bumped into a big man who insisted on picking a quarrel with him in
the corridor on the second floor. Trying to ignore the man, Sensei was unable to get out of his way, which resulted in Sensei
being shoved down the staircase. Being in such good physical condition, Arakaki was able to roll down the stairs avoiding
injury. The enraged man leaped down the stairs and grabbed Arakaki by the arm, trying to yank him up in an effort to punch his
face. Seizing the man's arm with the other hand, Sensei drove his toes deeply into the armpit of his attacker, which resulted in
the man dropping to the ground unconscious.

Needless to say, Sensei never returned to that tea house again. About six months later, while reading the newspaper one
morning, Ankichi was shocked to see a story which described some big wrestler who had died as a result of injuries sustained
by "some karate expert" at a tea house in Tsuji. The article went on to say that "survived by two daughters, both of whom were
serious judoka, the family sought to revenge the death of their beloved father". In spite of the man allegedly dying sometime
after his encounter with Arakaki, the police were never called in, and a subsequent investigation was unable to provide the
actual reason for his death.
Around 1921, after discharge from his military service, he moved to the village of Kadena. Unfortunately, due to the fact that his
father had died and the family business was profoundly affected by the recession which followed World War 1, Sensei Ankichi
Arakaki contracted stomach ulcers and died on 28th December 1927. He was just 28 years old.

Shōshin Nagamine (長嶺 将真)

Shōshin Nagamine (Nagamine Shōshin 1907-07-15–1997-11-02) was a Japanese author, soldier,

police officer and karate master.

Nagamine was born in Tomari, in Naha City, Okinawa. He was a small and sickly child, and he
contracted a gastroenteric disorder in 1926, his second year of high school. He began a self-
imposed diet and took up karate under the watchful eye of his next-door neighbour, Chojin Kuba.
Nagamine soon became a picture of good health, crediting his recovery to "hard work both at
school and training of Karate". His health improved to such an extent that he became a leader of
the school's karate club, and his friends dubbed him Chaippaii Matsu, a nickname meaning
"tenacious pine tree

After graduation in March 1928, he began to study martial arts full time, moving to Shuri and
training under Taro Shimabuku
(島袋善良) and Ankichi Arakaki. Later that year, he was conscripted into the Japanese army in the 47th Infantry Division, and
fought in China before receiving an honourable discharge in 1931.Leaving the army, Nagamine sought an area in which his
martial arts abilities would be useful, eventually settling on the police force

During his time as a police officer, Nagamine received further instruction in karate from Chotoku Kyan and Motobu Choki, and
achieved the title of Renshi in 1940. By 1951, Nagamine was a Police Superintendent, of Motobu, and was training his own
officers in karate.

Matsubayashi-ryū (松林流), is a style of Okinawan karate that was founded in 1947 by Shōshin Nagamine (1907–1997). Its
curriculum includes 18 kata, 7 two-man yakusoku kumite (prearranged sparring) routines, and kobudō (weapons) practice.
Matsubayashi-ryu is one of the four main styles of karate on Okinawa today, and was one of the styles represented when the
Okinawa Karate-do Federation was founded. It included the styles: Goju-ryu, Uechi-ryu, Shorin-ryu, and Matsubayashi-ryu.

Sensei Nagamine named his style in honor of the two masters whom he viewed as the most important masters that his
teachings were based upon, Sōkon Matsumura of Shuri-te and Kosaku Matsumora of Tomari-te. He chose to name the school
using the first kanji characters from both master's names Matsu (松) and the style is pronounced in Japanese "Matsubayashi".
Shuri-te is divided into three styles, two are called Shorin-Ryu and a third is called Matsubayashi-Ryu. Matsubayashi-Ryu is a
style of Shorin-Ryu and the terms Matsubayashi-Ryu and Shorin-Ryu can be used interchangeably. Normally, the style is
referred to as Shorin-Ryu but when a definite distinction is required between the other styles of the Shorin family (Kobayashi-
Ryu & Shobayashi-Ryu) then it is called Matsubayashi-Ryu.

Nagamine Shōshin also credited Motobu Chōki as the teacher who inspired his seven Yakusoku kumite forms. Today, the
official Matsubayashi-ryū organization is run by Shōshin Nagamine's son, Takayoshi Nagamine, though there are many
schools teaching Matsubayashi-ryū that are not officially affiliated with the Nagamine dojo. A new kata, Fukyugata San, was
developed in 1960 by Ueshiro sensei and is performed in his association's schools.

Matsubayashi-ryū is one of the better-documented traditional karate styles, owing to Nagamine's book, The Essence of
Okinawan Karate-dō. as well as Tales of Okinawa's Great Masters.

Zenryo Shimabukuro (島袋 善良)

Zenryo Shimabukuro (Shimabukuro Zenryō 14 November 1908 - 14 October 1969) was a

karate master and the founder of Shorin-ryu Seibukan karate.

Zenryo Shimabukuro was born in Shuri, Okinawa in 1908. He earned his living as a baker and
tatami maker, but had studied karate under the karate master Chotoku Kyan. He began his
training with Kyan in 1932, but trained with him until Kyan's death in 1945, excluding the years
during World War II, when karate instruction had ceased.

Following World War II, Shimabukuro opened his own dojo, teaching karate out of his home.
His students included his son Zenpo Shimabukuro and his nephew Zenji Shimabukuro, each of
whom became karate masters in their own right. One of his early students was an American
paratrooper named William Fuller Jr., who arranged for Shimabukuro to teach karate to some
of the other American paratroopers stationed in Okinawa.

In 1960, he became president of the Okinawan branch of the Japan Karate-do Federation/All-Japan Karate-do Federation,
though the branch later withdrew and became the Okinawan Karate-do United Association. In 1962, Shimabukuro founded his
school, which he named Seibukan (meaning Holy Art School). In 1964 he was awarded a 10th dan red belt, which is the
highest rank available within the Okinawan Karate-do United Association.

In 1967, the Okinawan Karate-do United Association became the All-Okinawan Karate-do Federation, with Shimabukuro
continuing to serve as the organization's
vice president.On October 14, 1969, Zenryo Shimabukuro died of appendicitis. His son Zenpo Shimabukuro became the
master of the school his father had founded, Seibukan.

Yasuhiro Konish
Shindō jinen-ryū (神道自然流 Shindō jinen-ryū) is one of the six original karate schools, or ryū, recognized
by the DNBK in the early 1930s. The system was founded by Yasuhiro Konishi, a practitioner of Shindo
Yoshin-ryū Jujutsu who trained with many of the first Okinawans to teach karate in Japan. Konishi trained
with Gichin Funakoshi (founder of Shotokan), Kenwa Mabuni (founder of Shitō-ryū), Chōjun Miyagi (co-
founder of Gōjū-ryū), legendary fighter and teacher Motobu Chōki, and Morihei Ueshiba (founder of
Aikido).Konishi's organization, Japan Karate-dō Ryobu-Kai, has spread worldwide, with branches in more
than 20 countries under the leadership of Yasuhiro (Takehiro) Konishi, 10th dan, and the guidance of
Kiyoshi Yamazaki, 8th dan, International Director and Chief Instructor. Shindō Jinen-ryū draws heavily
from both Shotokan and Shitō-ryū but also extensively utilizes aikido, jujutsu, and kendo principles and
techniques, reflecting the founder's background. Japan Karate-dō Ryobu-Kai is the only organization
associated with the six original styles of karate that has never experienced an internal schism, and it
remains the sole unifying body for Shindō Jinen-ryū Karate-dō.

KATA（形）
Kata is often described as a set sequence of karate moves organized into a pre-arranged fight against imaginary opponents.The kata
consists ofblocks,punches,kicks,strikes,sweeps and throws.Body movement in various kata includes
stepping,twisting,turning,dropping to the ground and jumping.In kata is not a performance or a demonstration,but is for individual karateka
to practice full techniques-with every technique potentially a killing blow ( ikken hisatsu )-while paying particular attention to from and
timing ( rhythm ).As the karateka grows older,more emphasis is placed on the health benefist of practicing kata,promoting fitneess while
keeping the body soft,supple and agile.There are perhaps 100 kata across the various forms of karate, each with many minor
variations.The number of moves in a kata may be referred to in the name of the kata.The ultimate Gōjū-ryū kata, Suparinpei, literally
translates to 108. Suparinpei is the Chinese pronunciation of the number 108,
while gojushi of Gojūshiho is the Japanese pronunciation of the number 54. The other Gōjū-ryū kata, Sanseru (meaning "36") and Seipai
("18") are factors of the number 108. The number of moves may also have links with Buddhist spirituality. The number 108 is significant in
Buddhism, and kata with 54, 36, or 27 moves (divisors of 108) are common. The practitioner is generally counselled to visualize the enemy
attacks, and his responses, as actually occurring, and karateka are often told to "read" a kata, to explain the imagined events. The study of
the meaning of the movements is referred to as the bunkai, meaning analysis, of the kata.

Kata
Kata (形) means literally "shape" or "model." Kata is a formalized sequence of movements which
represent various offensive and defensive postures. These postures are based on idealized
combat applications.Some kata use low and wide stances. This practice develops leg strength,
correct posture, and gracefulness. Vigorous arm movements enhance cardiovascular fitness and
upper body strength. Kata vary in number of movements and difficulty. The longer kata require the
karateka to learn many complex movements. Diligent training and correct mindfulness lead to real
understanding of combat principles.

Physical routines were a logical way to preserve this type of knowledge. The various moves have
multiple interpretation and applications. Because the applicability for actual self-defense is so
flexible there is no definitively correct way to interpret all kata. That is why only high ranking
practitioners are qualified to judge adequate form for their own style. Some of the criteria for
judging the quality of a performance are: Absence of missteps; correct beginning and especially
ending; crispness and smoothness; correct speed and power; confidence; and knowledge of
application. Kata with the same name are often performed differently in other styles of karate. Kata
are taught with minor variations among schools of the same style. Even the same instructor will
teach a particular kata slightly differently as the years pass.To attain a formal rank the karateka
must demonstrate competent performance of specific required kata for that level. The Japanese
terminology for grades or ranks is commonly used. Requirements for examinations vary among
schools.

Bunkai (分解)
Bunkai (分解), literally meaning "analysis"or "disassembly", is a term used in Japanese martial
arts referring to the application of fighting techniques extracted from the moves of a
"form"(kata).Bunkai is usually performed with a partner or a group of partners which execute
predefined attacks, and the student performing the kata responds with defenses, counterattacks,
or other actions, based on a part of the kata. This allows the student in the middle to understand
what the movements in kata are meant to accomplish. It may also illustrate how to improve
technique by adjusting distances, time moves properly, and adapt a technique depending on the
size of an
opponent.Some kata have another layer of application that is taught using an Oyo Bunkai, an
"application of the kata in ways other than the standard bunkai.
Different practitioners will learn or discover alternative applications, but the bunkai, like the kata, varies based on the style and the
teacher.A single kata may be broken into anywhere from a few to a few dozen applications, and the same sequence of kata moves may
sometimes be interpreted in different ways resulting in several bunkai. Some martial arts require students to perform bunkai for
promotion.Bunkai can be obvious or elusive depending on the technique in question, the moves preceding and following it, and
the individual practitioner.
There are usually many stages of depth of comprehension of bunkai only reached through the passage of time. The terms toridai and
himitsu are used to refer to techniques not readily seen to the casual observer and hidden techniques within kata

Kime (決め)
Kime (決め) is a Japanese word. It is the noun form of the verb "kimeru," which means "to
decide," "to conclude," etc. In English, its general meaning is "deciding."Kime is a commonly-
used Japanese martial arts term. In karate it can mean "power" and/or "focus," describing the
instantaneous tensing at the correct moment during a technique. The tension at this time is
mostly focused on the dantian ("hara") and abdomen. In judo, the "Kime-no-kata " are often
translated as the "Kata of Decision." In other budo,the term refers to attacking a pressure
point. In all cases, certain finality is implied.
Reference :Wikipedia

Kata（形）
The kata of karate do are logucal arrangements of blocking ,punching, striking and kicking
techniques in certain set sequences.About fifty kata, or "formal exercises"are practiced at the
present time,some having been passed down from generation to generation,others having been
developed fairly recently.Kata can be divided into two broad categories.In one group are those
approopriate for physical development,the strengthening of bone and muscle.Though
seemingly simple,they require composure fortheir performance and exhibit strength and dignity
when correctly performed.In the other group are kata suitable for the development of fast
reflexes and the ability to move quickly.The lightninglike movements in these kata are
suggestive of the rapid flight of the swallow.All kata require and foster rhythm and
coordination.Training in kata is spiritual as well as physical.In his performance of the kata,the
karateka should exhibitboldness and confidence,but also humilty,gentleness and a sense of
decorum,thus integrating mind and body in a singular discipline.As Gichin Funakoshi often
reminded his students."The spirit of karate do is lost without courtesy."